Not Long Enough
by PengyChan
Summary: My take on the roots of the rivalry between Dr. Director and Gemini. Set years before and immediately after "The Ron Factor". Read the warnings in the first chapter's A/N carefully before going on.
1. Way back

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kim Possible and I'm making no profit out of this. I doubt anyone would be insane enough to pay me for it anyaway XD

A/N: okay, I probably better repeat it here just in case you missed it in the summary: this story deals with incest, which is not exactly a comfortable subject, so if it squicks you you're probably better off not reading this. Also, you might want to take note of the rating before you keep reading. Even though the first few chapters will be relatively lighthearted, this is definitely not a lighthearted story: it deals with a very messed up, twisted and unhealthy relationship and it will have some mature content later on - nothing esplicit, but given the nature of the relationship it's definitely not going to be everyone's cup of tea. If you decide to read on, I take no responsibility for scarred brains. XD

Also, special thanks to **VampireNaomi **for getting me into writing this. This is probably one of the most difficult things I ever tried to write, but it was fun trying and I probably wouldn't have even tried if you weren't pretty much holding a gun to my...er, I mean, if it wasn't for your encouragement.  
...yes, this is a way to repeat yet once more that I'm blaming you. How did you guess?

Alright, enough with my blabbering. On to the story.

* * *

"_Gemini," Dr. Director said with a satisfied smirk as she saw her twin brother surrounded by her agents. She took a few steps forward, determined to take a good look at the look of defeat on his face. "It's been so long."_

_Much to her chagrin, however, Gemini looked anything but defeated. He just grinned back, apparently unimpressed. "Not long enough," he stated, his grip on Stoppable still firm._

_The boy's gaze shifted back and forth between them. "You two know each other?"_

_Gemini's only eye narrowed as he kept glaring at his sister. "Oh, we go way back…"_

* * *

Betty frowned in concentration, her eyes fixed on the algebra problem in front of her. The teacher was reading the newspaper, thus failing to notice how most students were whispering to each other, trying to cheat. However, she ignored it – she could do it by herself, she was sure she could. She just needed to concentrate.

_If I take the exponents of the denominator and subtract them from the exponents of the numerator…_

Her concentration, however, was interrupted as something lightly hit the back of her head – a crumpled ball of paper. She turned in annoyance, thinking someone had tried to pass a suggestion to some other student and missed, but she immediately understood it wasn't the case as she saw her twin brother grinning at her from his desk, a couple of rows behind hers – the first row in class was the only thing he didn't try to get from her since he preferred to stay hidden by the teacher's gaze.

No, there had been no mistake – it was directed to her, and there was definitely no suggestion written on it: it was just Sheldon being his annoying self.

"Very funny," she silently mouthed, with the only result of being hit on the forehead by another ball of paper. She turned back to her notebook with a growl, causing Sheldon to smirk – it was always fun annoying her like that, he thought, then his smirk vanished as he glanced back to the algebra problem…which he had absolutely no idea how to solve.

Maybe, if he took the denominator…no, the numerator…no, the denominator of the exponent…no, wait, it was the other way around. So, the exponent…yes, the exponent! The exponent of the…the…numerator? Denominator? What was the difference anyway?

"Hey!" Sheldon yelped a little as something suddenly hit his forehead and fell on his desk – thankfully the teacher hadn't heard, for he had instinctively kept his voice low. He glanced down to see the pen that had just hit him – Betty's spare pen. He looked up just in time to see her turning back to her notebook, a satisfied grin on her face.

A similar grin spread on his own face.

_Raising the stake, eh, baby sister?_

All the students sitting between the first and the fourth row sighed as they tried to stay as low as they could while a few other items – pencils, pens, notebooks, paperclips and even a chewed gum – were thrown back and forth above their heads. A few of them chuckled, but most of them just rolled their eyes – it was just the Director twins being themselves after all: everything normal in a normal day. Their next step was surely going to be the principal's office – it was just a matter of _when_ the teacher would raise her gaze form the newspaper to see them.

The moment came as a pen thrown by Sheldon narrowly missed Betty's head and hit the newspaper that Ms. Colson was holding in front of her face. The whole class froze as she put it down with a sigh to glance at them – even though she hadn't _seen_ what had happened, the scene had repeated itself so many times that she didn't even have any doubt about the responsibles anymore.

"Elizabeth, Sheldon," she said smoothly, not even bothering to go through the effort of sounding angry – was there ever a point with those two? "I think you both know the way to the principal's office, don't you?"

* * *

"This is all your fault," Sheldon muttered as he cleaned another old trophy – twenty trophies cleaned, a thousand more to go, he thought grimly.

"What?" Betty protested, stopping for a moment to mop the shelves "_you_ are the one who started! And it was _you_ to hit Ms. Colson's newspaper!"

"I had just thrown a paper ball – if you hadn't started to throw other stuff, she wouldn't have noticed."

"Oh, right – so I should have just stayed quiet while you kept throwing stuff at me, eh?"

"That would have been nice," Sheldon said somewhat grumpily, but he was smirking as he ducked to avoid being hit by a wet mop. Betty just shrugged and went back to mop the shelves – she wasn't that mad either: it wasn't the first detention they got, and it surely wouldn't be the last. If she let it bother her too much, she would go insane in less than three days.

"…well, that was fun anyway," Sheldon finally said after a long silence.

Betty raised an eyebrow. "Fun? I have other ideas of fun rather than spending a detention mopping with my annoying twin."

"Older brother."

"_Twin_," she repeated a little more forcefully "and what did you find so funny anyway?"

"Hey, principal Merrill's face was a sight, wasn't it?" he snickered "he looked like he was about to explode. As if he didn't look like a bloat toad already."

She shook her head disapprovingly, but a slight smile curled her lips. "Sheldon, you should show more respect…"

"How can you respect someone like that?" he simply asked, then he straightened his back and cleared his throat just like the principal always did "the two of you, again! Will you ever learn? It's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye…!" he quoted him in such a perfect imitation of the principal's croaky voice that Betty just couldn't stay serious anymore.

"Alright, now knock it off," she said with a brief laughter "we still have an awful lot of work to do, so less moping and more mopping."

"Hey, you can't boss me around! I'm the big brother here!"

"I'm not bossing you – you're free to waste your time the way you prefer," she said with a shrug as she began mopping again "after all, it's not like I'm the one who would have to stay here the whole afternoon after slacking instead of cleaning."

He grunted. "Killjoy," he muttered, but he resumed his mopping without any further discussion.

* * *

"So, who's faster _now_?" Betty called over her shoulder as she kept pedalling as fast as she could, ignoring her own panting breath and her muscles begging her to go take it easy – she was winning the race, and she definitely wasn't going to give up now!

"It's just because you got a better bike than mine!" Sheldon protested, pedalling faster as well – he wouldn't let her win!

"Aw, please – they're identical!"

"Not true," he panted, but his lips curled into a grin as he glanced at the sidewalk "but I'll win anyway!"

"Hey, that's cheating!" Betty protested as her brother got with his bike on the sidewalk, surpassing her.

"Why? We never talked about any 'don't go on the sidewalk' rule before," he triumphantly yelled back, turning to look at her…and thus failing to see the small creature that stepped just a few feet ahead of him.

"Sheldon, look out!"

"What…?" the boy turned to look ahead just in time to see something resembling a large rat standing in his way. He instinctively tried to avoid it, but he lost his balance and fell heavily on the ground. "Ow!" he groaned, getting the bike off him and rubbing his sore elbow, and he blinked as he saw that the rat that had caused him to fall was walking towards him waving its tail.

Wait a minute…

"Hey, you're a dog," he said, reaching out, and he smiled a little as the chihuahua licked his hand "and a nice one. What the heck were you doing here?" he asked, picking it up.

"Are you okay?" Betty asked, parking her bike near the sidewalk and walking up to him "you almost crashed against the…what is it?"

"It's a _she_," Sheldon corrected her as he petted the dog, who clearly appreciated his attentions. She yelped and rolled on her back to have him scratch his belly, and he immediately complied. "And it's a dog. Well, a small one, but still a dog. Wasn't there a name for this breed?"

She observed the small creature. "A chihuahua?"

"Yep, that's it," he nodded, grinning as the dog began sniffing his shirt, still waving its tail as it tried to lick his hand face "and her name is Mimi."

"Does she have a collar?"

"No, I think she's a stray dog. Either that, or someone decided to dump her," he grimaced – he knew a lot of people did so "look at her, she's skinny! How about giving her something to eat? I think there are some leftovers left, and no one is eating those anyway, so-"

Betty blinked. "Wait. You just gave her a name?"

"Yes."

"In less than twenty seconds?"

"Uh…yes?"

"And you want to keep it."

"Am I that predictable?"

"Well, considering that you already gave it a name…" she sighed, smiling a little as she glanced at the yelping dog who was squirming to lick her brother's face "how do you plan to convince mom to keep her?"

"Don't worry, I have my ways," Sheldon said, getting up from the ground and brushing away the dust from his clothes with his left hand while he kept the dog cradled in his right arm.

"Are you going to whine and beg like when you wanted a new teddy bear?"

He growled as he got his bike back on its wheels, limping a little since he had also his knee in the fall. "Shut up, Betty," he said, his grumpy expression making her snicker for a while. Yeah, that was definitely something that always restored her good mood.

* * *

Her good mood, however, promptly evaporated barely ten minutes after they got home, as soon as she answered to the phone to hear a familiar voice from the other side of the line. "Hello, Betty."

Oh, great. "Hi, dad," she finally said, trying her best to sound somewhat glad for his phone call – when had it been the last time he had even bothered calling anyway? It had to be months ago, she didn't remember clearly…but she did remember how awful her brother's mood had been for days after the phone call.

"How are you doing? How about school?"

"Fine, I guess," she paused, trying to think of anything else she could say – she felt like she was trying to speak of personal matters with a total stranger, and it was awkward "I'm going to represent the school at the regional gymnastics competition, and Sheldon became the football team captain. He's the quarterback."

"Sounds great," Gerald Director said, but it was clear he wasn't nearly as interested as he wanted to sound, and Betty suddenly felt enraged. Why did he keep doing that? Why did he have to put them and himself through this? Couldn't he just stop calling? It would be easier for everyone.

"Yeah," was all she said, leaning against the wall and turning to look at Sheldon – he was sitting on the couch, apparently oblivious of the phone call, but the tenseness in his back and the fact he simply kept staring one point ahead of him as he absentmindedly petted Mimi told her otherwise.

"And, hum…how's you mother doing?"

_Working her butt off to keep things going, as usual – thanks to you. Why should you care?_

"Fine," was all she said, suddenly wishing nothing more but ending that phone call "look, dad, I have a lot to stuff to do here…"

"Oh," was all Gerald said, sounding both disappointed and oddly relieved "and…is you brother there?"

Betty covered the receiver with her hand and turned to her brother. "Sheldon…?"

"Tell him to go to hell."

"No, he's not here…yes, he's busy with the football team and so on…yes, I'll tell him you said hi. Okay. Bye."

Sheldon snorted as she hung the phone. "That's not exactly what I said."

"If you want to tell him to go to hell, do that yourself," Betty snapped, sitting on the couch and grabbing her book. She expected him to say something about her incapability to even refer a message, but he just shrugged.

"That would require speaking to him," he said coldly, smiling just a little as Mimi rolled onto her back to have him scratching her belly, and he immediately did so.

"You can't keep avoiding him for the rest of your life."

"Of course not – just for the rest of _his_ life."

Betty opened her mouth to speak, but she closed it without saying anything as she remembered the hurt, angered look on Sheldon's face when they had seen their father getting out of home with a luggage in his hand one day they got back from school earlier than usual. Gerald Director had stopped in his tracks for a few moments, staring at his children, then he had just muttered something that sounded much like 'sorry' and had walked past them and into his car without turning once.

It hadn't been easy for any of them, but Sheldon seemed to have taken it much worse than anyone else – he probably thought of it as some kind of betrayal, and Betty honestly couldn't tell if it was just because he had left or because he had tried to do so without saying anything to them and with the hope of avoiding them as he got away. The escape of a coward, he had said back then, and he didn't seem to have changed his mind one bit. And, for one time's sake, Betty agreed with him – actually, that was pretty much the only thing they agreed about.

"Mom called while you were outside with the dog," she finally said, trying to change subject "she said she's working late today."

"I got it," Sheldon said with a sigh as he got up, leaving Mimi on the couch "so, are we going to explore the murky depths of the fridge or we're just going to order a pizza?"

"I'm voting for the second option. Last time you set the kitchen on fire, remember?"

"What? It was _you_ who set it on fire!"

"Liar! It was you, while trying to make cheese fries!"

"Oh, yeah? Why don't we just ask mom what happened?"

"Don't be a kid, mom wasn't even here when it happened! You _know_ it was you!"

"Don't give me that, we both know that you are the only one clumsy enough to set stuff on fire!"

"_Clumsy?"_

"Yes!" Sheldon grinned as he ducked just in time to avoid the book she had thrown against him. "See? You're clumsy," he said before picking up the book "hey, I was just looking for this. Thanks, baby sister."

"Hey, that's mine!" she protested, leaping forward to get it back, but Sheldon just held it away from her reach – did he just _have_ to be taller than she was?

"But I have it now."

"I was reading that!"

"So what? Go looking for another one. I'm the older brother, and I get to read it first."

Betty scowled. "You aren't even interested in it – you just want it because I have it!"

"That's not true! I _am_ interested in…uh…" he glanced at the book's cover "…criminal psychology?"

"See? You didn't even know what it was about!" she snapped, taking advantage of his distraction to snatch it away from his hand "and I'm not your baby sister!"

"Oh yes, you are!"

"By four minutes."

"It could be four years for all I care," he said stubbornly "I'm older – end of the story."

"Yeah, right," Betty said, rolling her eyes as she grabbed the phone: she really wasn't up for another argument "so, pizza?"

From the couch, Mimi barked enthusiastically. "What she said," Sheldon said with a shrug, causing Betty to sigh and shake her head with a mildly amused smile.

* * *

"Forget it."

"But, mom…"

"No buts, Sheldon – we are not keeping any dog, and that's final!" Theresa said, trying to sound as stern as she could as she sat on the couch, rubbing her temples – it had surely been a hard day at work, Betty mused from the kitchen as she prepared a cup of tea for her mother. Sheldon could choose a better moment to ask her to keep the dog, then again he had no choice since Theresa had demanded an immediate explanation when she had seen the small creature walking towards her as she got inside, waving its tail. And when she wanted an explanation, it was generally a good idea to give her one – a _valid_ explanation. And quickly.

Betty smiled a little as she remembered their mother's stunned expression upon seeing the dog and tried to listen to what her brother was saying.

"But she has no place to go," Sheldon protested again, still holding Mimi to his chest while trying to prevent her from licking is face "if I send her away, she might be run down by a car, or…" he paused and frowned, clearly trying to find some way to move his mother "or she would starve, or attacked by some bigger dog, or she would be caught and sent to the dog-pound – and she wouldn't last long in a place like that. And you know what happens when they don't find an owner for a dog, right?" he said, his voice sounding suddenly grim. Betty had to admit he did deserve some drama points.

Theresa sighed, running her hand through her already greying hair and trying to not look at the dog who was friendly looking at her. "Yes, I know, and it's terrible – but we cannot keep every single dog-"

"Not every single dog, just her!" Sheldon insisted excitedly – his mother had begun showing signs of weakness, which meant she _would_ give up sooner or later. It was only a matter of choosing the right words.

"Well…" she seemed to hesitate, then she shook her head "no, I'm sorry, I don't have the energy to run after a dog," she said, and it was true. She was not so young anymore, though she usually preferred to avoid thinking there were only a few years left to her sixtieth birthday and that some of her friends were grandparents already.

It hadn't been her intention to wait for so long before having children, and she had spent the first ten years of her marriage trying to have at least one – but she never got pregnant, and she had eventually given up on the hope she could someday be a mother when one of the doctors at the hospital she worked in told her she was most likely sterile. It hadn't been easy, but she had gotten used to the idea – her relationship with her husband was starting to deteriorate already, and the situation wasn't stable enough for children – so she had been glad enough when she had apparently gotten in menopause about eighteen years earlier. Little she knew that the 'menopause' was actually Sheldon and Elizabeth. Twins, nonetheless – as if fate had suddenly decided to make up for the lost time, she always mused with a chuckle.

The doctor who had told her she was sterile had been stunned. He had told her that those children were a true gift, and that he doubted it would happen again, so she better be grateful for their birth since she was very unlikely to ever have any other child. And even though she adored her children more than anything in the world, she had been rather happy to know they would be the _only_ unexpected gift she got. When you're no longer a spring chicken and your relationship with your husband could be described as strained at best, such gifts are hardly as welcomed as they could be in other situations.

"But you wouldn't have to!" her son was going on "I would take care of her, really! I'll feed her, keep her in the backyard, and I'll bring her out before I go to school, when I get back and after dinner. And if she does any mess, I'll clean up. Honest!"

Theresa raised an eyebrow. "You, cleaning up? Am I dreaming?" she chuckled, reaching for her cup of tea "thanks, Betty. How was your day?" she asked, feeling mildly guilty for not asking her first, busy as she was negotiating with Sheldon about the dog. She didn't have many regrets – fine, maybe marrying Gerald hadn't been her brightest idea ever, but it had still resulted with Sheldon and Betty's birth, so it he couldn't really regret it – but the fact she had so little time for her children was the biggest regret.

Betty shrugged. "It was fine," she said, deciding to not mention the detention and their father's phone call – it would only spoil her fairly good mood "nothing special. Anyway," she added, glancing at the dog "how about letting Sheldon try his way? Give him a week, and if he can't look after the dog we'll look for another owner," she said reasonably, fully knowing Theresa had already mellowed and was about to give up, and she had to hold back a grin when she saw the stunned expression on her brother's face – neither of them could recall when it was last time they had been helping out each other to convince their mother about something.

Their mother seemed just as surprised. "Well…" she glanced at the dog and smiled a little "I guess we could try. Just a few more things, Sheldon – you'll have to pay for her food, toys and stuff with your own money. And pay back for whatever thing she might break," she paused "and if it works out, I'll pay for the vaccinations and half of the bills for the vet when she needs it – the rest is on you. Alright?"

"Alright!" Sheldon exclaimed, almost gloating as he scratched Mimi's ears "hey, did you hear that? You can stay!" he said, causing the dog to bark enthusiastically.

"For now," Theresa pointed out, but she was smiling "why don't you start with feeding her? We have some meat balls left in the fridge. Put them in a bowl and leave them outside," she suggested, and she shook her head in amusement as her son nodded and rushed to the kitchen, closely followed by Mimi "how did you two find that dog anyway?"

Betty shrugged. "He almost ran over it with his bike," she said "next thing I know, he had already given it a name and was bringing it home."

Her mother laughed. "Odd, he never seemed to care much about dogs."

"Well, it' kinda easy getting fond on that one. It's a friendly little thing."

"Yes, it is. Well, I guess we'll just have to see if your brother keeps his word and doesn't grow tired of it."

"I just hope he has a better care of it than he had for my gerbil," Betty said, frowning slightly at the thought.

"Betty, you were only five and he just thought it wouldn't hurt if he made it take a bath…"

"And he _drowned_ it in the sink."

Theresa grinned somewhat sheepishly. "It wasn't his intention."

"No, but it was the result," Betty replied, grinning a little herself at the memory. Sheldon had actually been mortified for that accident: he was rather fond on that gerbil as well.

"Look on the bright side – with the two of you here, there is no risk of getting bored," her mother said, causing her to laugh.

"Bored? Hardly," she said. As if to confirm her words, Sheldon suddenly got out of the kitchen and rushed upstairs.

"The upper bunk is mine!" he yelled over his shoulder, causing Betty to jump on her feet again.

"What? No way – it's my turn to sleep there tonight!"

"Forget it. I am the older brother, and I get the upper bunk!"

"_Older my-" _whatever she said next was thankfully spared to her mother's ears, for she was already stomping upstairs.

Theresa couldn't help but chuckle slightly as she heard some shouting and then the unmistakable sound of the usual hand-slap fight coming from upstairs. No, she thought as she sipped her tea, boredom was definitely not among their problems.


	2. Gone

"This is not fair," Sheldon nearly whined – well, as much as he could whine without coughing "we sleep in the same room and eat the same stuff – why aren't you ill?" he asked almost accusingly as he shivered pulled the sheets under his chin again – for once, he hadn't minded staying on the lower bunk.

"That's what you get for sleeping in your underwear," Betty snickered a little as she grabbed her bag "by the way, I didn't know you still had those boxers with the blue hippos…"

Her brother sneezed. "Hey, the other ones were all in to be put in the dryer."

"And you _didn't_ put them in the dryer," Betty rolled her eyes "well, I'll tell you a secret – you're a big boy now. And big boys can do their own laundry."

Sheldon snorted. "Knock it off," he muttered grumpily as she turned to look back to the wall.

She was about to add something else, but she decided against it. It was funnier teasing him when he was in shape. "I'll explain your coach you're ill, okay?" she said quickly, putting her coat on – she was late for the gymnastics practice, and she hated being late.

"Okay," was all her brother managed to mutter before sneezing again "can you bring out Mimi when you get back?"

"Just this time," she said with a shrug as the phone began to ring "but you're re answering to the phone," she said, getting out.

"But I'm sick," Sheldon almost whined, but the only reply he got was the door shutting close. Oh, well, whatever – the phone was on the nightstand anyway, so it wasn't like he had to get up or something. "Hello?"

"Good morning – I am doctor Bowden from the St. Joseph's Hospital of Philadelphia," a man said from the other side of the line "I'm looking for Theresa Director – is she there?"

"That is no longer her surname," he said somewhat stiffly, wondering what did that guy want anyway. Had something happened to someone? But Betty was perfectly fine only a moment before, and if he was looking for their mother it surely wasn't about her. Maybe aunt Sarah? But she didn't live in Philadelphia…was there anyone he knew who lived in Philadelphia anyway? "She isn't home. I'm her son – you can tell me," he said, sitting up straight. Yes, there _was_ someone who lived in Philadelphia: didn't his father move there a couple of years after leaving?

_But it can't be him. He called just...just..._

_ Last week. A lot of things can happen in a week._

_It could be nothing serious. It could be about someone else._

_And why would they look for your mother is it wasn't him and nothing serious happened?_

"Oh," the man hesitated, unsure – he hadn't planned to deliver the news to a boy, but what else could he do? "Isn't there…anyone else at home with you?"

Sheldon swallowed, feeling a sudden, unmotivated panic rushing over him. "What happened?"

"Isn't there…?"

"No, dammit, there is no one else home!" he barked _"what happened?"_

There was a brief silence at the other side of the line, then a heavy sigh. "I'm really sorry to deliver such news," doctor Bowden finally said, each of his word suddenly sounding like a death toll to him "you might want to have a seat…"

* * *

Betty had never been to any funeral before that day, and she hated everything of it. The black clothes, the black coffin, the bunch of flowers that filled the air with an almost revolting smell and that bunch of silent people looking down at the ground, occasionally nodding as they listened to the priest's words…it all made her want to just run away. The only reason why she stayed was that sensation that she simply _had_ to be there, paying a last goodbye to a man that hadn't even been there for _her_.

She sighed and let her gaze wander on the people around the coffin. She didn't know most of them, and she briefly wondered how many of those people actually cared about her father's death: aside for her mother, there were only two other people that actually seemed to be bothered by what happened: her father's…girlfriend – and man, didn't it feel odd calling like that a woman that was certainly past her forties! – and her son. He was probably only a few years younger than her and Sheldon, so he couldn't have any blood relation with their father…but by looking at him clinging to his crying mother's arm, one would have really thought it was his father they were burying.

He certainly seemed much more upset than her brother, Betty mused as she glanced at Sheldon. He was standing just a few feet behind them, his expression absolutely blank as he stared at the black coffin in which his father's body was resting. His hands were into the pockets of his coat, as if to protect them from the wind that ruffled his hair, but Betty could easily guess his hands were clenched into fists inside the pockets, and she could also guess one more thing – he felt guilty. Their father had called them not even a week before his heart attack, and he had refused to speak with him.

Betty bit her lower lip before she gently let go of her mother's hand – Theresa didn't even seem to notice, numb as she was – and walked to her twin. "You couldn't know," she said softly, standing next to him and looking at the coffin "you had no idea."

"I have no idea of what you're talking about," Sheldon said coldly, glancing away, then he shrugged "I shouldn't even be here. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for mom," he glanced back at her, as if challenging her to say otherwise.

"That's right, you're here because of mom," Betty said, a little stiffly "and coming with us was your decision. Stop complaining."

"Yeah, it's easy to say for you. You always were daddy's little girl, weren't you?" Sheldon nearly snarled.

"How can you…!" Betty began, but she paused as she realized she had been speaking too loud "how can you say that? He left both of us, in case you haven't noticed. You were not the only one who--" she trailed off and swallowed "it's not my fault if I got to speak with him one last time while you didn't," she said quietly "you cannot blame it on me. It's not fair."

He opened his mouth to reply, hesitated, and finally closed it with a shrug. "Whatever."

There was a long silence, both observing as the coffin was lowered in the hole and everyone stepped forward to throw some dirt inside. Their mother didn't, nor she gestured them to. It would just be hypocrite, Betty thought. They were there to pay their respects, not to give some sugary display of affection that people probably expected from them.

On the other hand, she felt a slight pang of jealousy as she watched that boy – what was his name anyway? Adam, maybe, she couldn't remember – throwing some dirt on her father's coffin. Gerald Director had surely been more of a father to him than to his own children, she mused.

Her thoughts were however interrupted as she felt someone gently touching her arm – her mother. "Let's go," she said softly, reaching to ruffle Sheldon's hair. He didn't even protest as he usually would. "We have a plane to catch."

"Yes, in a minute," Sheldon nodded absentmindedly as Theresa walked past them. Betty saw him take something from his pocket, and she was astonished to see what it was: their father's 'lucky coin', as he always referred to it: a simple quarter coin with a hole in the middle…and judging from the round mark on his palm, he had been clutching it tightly for a while – probably the whole funeral. Betty had no idea he still had it: she had been certain he had lost it, or thrown it away.

"Hey, kid!"

The boy, who had returned by his mother's side, turned to look at him, and Sheldon gestured for him to step closer. He looked up at his mother, who simply nodded, then he stepped closer to that guy who looked so much like his deceased stepfather. He knew Gerald did have a son and a daughter who lived in another town, but he had never gotten to meet them until now, and he was amazed by how much that guy looked like him…but he didn't seem as kind, he thought nervously.

"Uh…hi," he muttered uneasily, avoiding to look at him. He didn't really like how he was looming over him – no, he really didn't seem as nice as Mr. Director was.

"So, did you like that guy?" Sheldon asked bluntly, his eyes turning just for a moment to Gerald Director's grave before resting on him again.

"Sheldon!" Betty tried to protest, but he just kept his gaze fixed on the boy.

"I…yes, sir," Adam he said timidly, clearly wanting to go back to his mother "he…he was a good dad."

An almost furious expression crossed Sheldon's features for a moment, but he got a grip on himself before the kid could even realize he had said the wrong thing. "Fine," he said with a shrug, then he handled something to the boy "then take this."

The younger boy blinked as he reached up to take the coin. "What is it?" he asked, frowning in confusion, and Betty was pretty sure he didn't know if he should be more confused because of the offer or because the coin had a hole in it.

Sheldon shrugged. "Some coin he always had with him – he said it was lucky or something. And I don't need _his_ luck, so keep it. I think he would rather have you keeping it anyway," he added somewhat bitterly.

"Oh," Adam hesitated "uh…thank you?"

"You're welcome," Sheldon said with a shrug, turning away and walking to his mother without another word.

Betty sighed as she watched him walking away. "Make me a favour," she said to the still confused boy "take good care of it, alright?"

He nodded, apparently less intimidated by her than he was of her brother. "Alright."

"Good kid," she smiled a little before turning to walk up to Sheldon "bring out condolences to your mom."

"Okay."

The boy stood there for a few more moments, watching them walk away, then he glanced down at the lucky coin in his hand just for a moment before swallowing and stuffing it in his pocket. Yes, he would take care of it…but now he didn't want to look at it, he thought as he turned and ran back in his mother's comforting arms. He only wanted to close his eyes and pretend that whole day, and the day before, had only been a nightmare.

* * *

"Dammit, Sheldon, _say something_!" Betty snapped after two hours of heavy silence. Her brother hadn't uttered one single word since the moment they had gotten in the airport, and anything he had said until that moment had just been some monosyllabic reply to their mother.

Her brother just scoffed, his eyes still fixed on the window – the clouds were so white that it was blinding, but he didn't care. "What should I say? He kicked the bucket. End of the story."

"You shouldn't--"

"You want me to add something? _Fine_," her brother snapped, finally turning to look at her "he kicked the bucket in the most _squalid_ way imaginable, having a heart attack while he was buying the tickets for some stupid baseball match he was going to bring that stupid kid to. How does that sound?" he snarled, a clear trace of resentment in his voice.

Betty narrowed her eyes. "Sheldon, stop this."

He ignored her and went on with vicious rage. "Not that it matters because to me he died almost ten years ago anyway, but now he had the wonderful idea of having a heart attack on Friday, so that the whole weekend just went to hell with--"

_Smack!_

Sheldon let out a surprised gasp as Betty's hand hit his face in a violent slap, almost causing him to hit his head against the window. "What's the matter? Did you expect some speech about what an awesome dad and husband he was?" he growled, shaking in suppressed rage as he wiped away some blood from the corner of his mouth "sorry to disappoint, but no. You won't hear _that_ from me."

"If you say anything that stupid again, the next one will leave a mark," she threatened, her hand still raised as if ready to strike again "if mom heard you…"

"But she didn't!" he snapped, rubbing his sore cheek "she didn't hear a word--" he trailed off as she saw the expression on his sister's face – she looked like it was taking her all her strength to not cry.

"I did," she said, her voice trembling slightly despite her efforts "if you want to keep feeding yourself all this crap about how much you don't care about what happened because it makes you feel stronger or something, it's your business. But keep this crap to yourself – I just want to mourn _my father_ in peace," she added, as if she had just realized how much his death had hurt her. It hurt both of them much more than it probably should have: their father had been lost to them for years already, or so they had thought.

They stared at each other for a few more moments, then Sheldon turned his gaze back outside and Betty rested against the seat again. There was a long, heavy silence.

"What did he say?" Sheldon finally asked, his eyes still fixed outside.

"What?"

"When he called. What did he say?"

Betty took a deep breath. "Nothing special – he asked how we were doing. He asked me to tell you he said hi," she bit her lower lip "but you already know that."

"He had asked to speak with me."

She sighed. "Yes."

"And I told you to tell him to got to hell," he gave a low, joyless chuckle "my last message for him – how ironic," he muttered, and Betty bit her lower lip even harder as she realized his voice was starting to break. "One would think he heard me after all, don't you think? He heard me and decided to just do as I--" Sheldon trailed off as she suddenly put a hand on his shoulder – it was something she hadn't done in years, if she ever had. They had never being really supportive to each other, competitive as they usually were.

"You didn't think what you said, and he never knew you said it anyway. It means nothing."

He just nodded. "That kid seemed to be fond on him," he said, changing subject.

"Yes, he did."

"Dad was planning to bring him to the baseball match today," Sheldon went on, his eyes staring blankly ahead "do you remember when he used to bring us to baseball matches? When we were little."

"Yes," Betty nodded, wondering when had it been last time he had actually referred to him as 'dad' "and he took us both on his shoulders so we could see better, remember?" she smiled a little at the memory – Gerald Director had been a large man, tall and with broad shoulders, and he looked like a giant to her when she was little "one shoulder each. He complained because we were getting heavy, but he would always let us on his shoulders anyway if we insisted enough. "

"And he always said…"

"…good thing it's just two of them, I haven't got a third shoulder," Betty finished with a chuckle "yes, I remember. Man, how many times did he use that line?"

Sheldon smiled just a little. "More times than I can remember. It was a lame joke, uh?"

"Did he ever crack a joke that wasn't lame?"

"Well, no. But we were still young enough to find them amusing."

"Yeah. Remember when he called us Phycho and Somatic?"

Sheldon chuckled at the memory. "Don't remind me. That was the lamest one."

"Well, you did laugh."

"I was four, and I had no idea of what that meant! And you laughed too!"

She held up her hands. "Touché," she said with a small smile.

There was another silence before Sheldon swallowed and spoke again. "He's gone," he said quietly, as if he was just beginning to realize it.

Betty smiled a little and patted his back. "Nice to see your brain is back on this planet," she said, and he gave an odd sound between a laugh and a sob.

"And here I thought you would get sentimental," he said, throwing an empty can at her.

She smirked weakly, ducking under it and leaning back on the seat. "You should have known better," she said, and they didn't speak about their father again for the weeks that followed. There wasn't much more to be said.

* * *

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Betty asked, raising an eyebrow as she watched her brother working in the backyard, a small grin on her lips. There were very few things that annoyed her brother as much as having her questioning his skills in manual jobs – truth to be told, he was rather good at it.

"_Sure_," Sheldon grumbled, shooting her a nasty glace as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and tried to prevent Mimi from chewing his shoes "this isn't some kind of _show_, you know. Don't you have anyone else to bother?"

Betty shrugged, leaning against the wall. "I'm just curious to see how much it will take for you to break at least a couple of fingers with that hammer," she said with a grin.

"Sorry to disappoint, but this isn't going to happen," her brother muttered before turning his attention back to the small doghouse he was building – the weather was getting awfully hot, and he wanted his dog to have a decent doghouse to get in to escape the heat of the sun "not _now_, Mimi! Betty, can't you make yourself useful and keep her away from here?" he demanded, looking over his shoulder at his sister. Trying to get the nails in the planks so he could finally get the roof done wasn't exactly easy as long as the chihuahua kept trying to jump on the planks, risking to be injuried by the nails.

"And I should because…?"

"Because I'm your older brother and I tell you to do so."

"Keep dreaming."

Sheldon groaned. "Okay, fine – if you keep her until I'm done, you get to sleep on the upper bunk tonight," he said grudgingly "deal?"

Betty chuckled. "Sounds fair to me," she said, stepping forward and leaning to take Mimi in her arms. She laughed a little as the small dog tried to lick her face – she definitely was a friendly little one. No wonder her brother had grown so fond on her, she thought. "How old is she anyway?"

Sheldon shrugged as he began nailing the parts of the roof together. "The vet says she's about one year old, give or take a couple of months," he frowned as the nail he was hammering in the plank bent "dangit, not again – are the nippers over there?"

"Yes," Betty reached for the nippers and handled them to him "you brought her to the vet already?"

"Yesterday, while you were at your gymnastics practice," he said, pulling out the bent nail form he plank "the coach was sick, so he let the team home earlier. Too bad, we have a match next week and-- ouch!"

"Nailed your hand?" Betty asked.

"Splinter," he said with a grimace, pulling out a splinter from his palm.

"Why aren't you using the gloves?"

"Mimi chewed them – I'm almost done anyway," he said, hammering another nail and carefully running a hand on the planks to make sure there were no nails sticking out before he began nailing the roof on the walls.

"Well, it doesn't look bad," Betty said truthfully, glancing at the small doghouse as he finished.

Sheldon grinned. "Sure it doesn't, I know what I'm doing," he said, getting up and cracking his back with a satisfied sigh "okay, put her down and let's see if she likes it."

Betty put Mimi back on the ground, letting the chihuahua get closer to the doghouse. The small dog sniffed at the walls for a few moments, clearly curious, then she seemed satisfied by the inspection and got inside. "I think it passed the test," she chuckled.

From inside the doghouse, Mimi barked.

"Yeah, definitely," Sheldon grinned "so, who did a great job?"

Betty rolled her eyes. "You did a great job."

"Damn right," he said, sweeping some more sweat from his forehead – man, it was hot out there. Was it really just April? "How about an ice cream?"

"I still have to finish my homework," she said with a shrug before glaring at him "and you didn't even begin yours," she pointed out.

"Hey, give me a break – I'll do it later, okay?" he snorted, reaching for the leash and whistling to make Mimi get out from the doghouse "it will only take a few minutes anyway – I'm melting!"

Well, she had to admit the weather _was_ rather hot…and a good ice cream was something she couldn't refuse. "Alright, count me in."

* * *

"She doesn't look good, uh?" Betty said, sitting on the closest bench.

Sheldon blinked, finally turning his attention from his ice cream. "Who, Mimi?" he asked worriedly, turning to look at the chihuahua, who was apparently having a great time chasing some crickets in the grass "she's doing great!"

Betty rolled her eyes. "No, not the dog – I mean mom. She always looks worried lately."

Her brother frowned. "Well, that's no surprise – with him gone, she isn't getting financial help for us anymore. He left most of his money to his new family," he said, scowling at the thought "and there wasn't that much of it anyway. Some loss."

There was a brief silence, both of them staring blankly ahead for a few moments. Neither of them had wanted to talk about their father's passing since when they had gotten back from the funeral – not even their teachers, schoolmates or friends knew anything about it. Why should it matter anyway? He had been away too many years for his death to make any significant difference in their lives.

Betty finally sighed. "I guess the hospital isn't going to give her a raise anytime soon," she muttered darkly, suddenly not feeling like eating her ice cream anymore. It just wasn't _fair_ – why did things always have to be that hard for their mother?

"Oh, please – the hospital's administration would make the nurses bandage wounds with _rags_ to save money if only it wasn't forbidden," Sheldon said sourly before sitting next to her, gazing at his ice cream thoughtfully "you know, I was thinking…"

"You're _thinking_? Hang on there, I'll call the press!" she mocked him, poking his shoulder and causing him to snort.

"I'm being serious here! And you shouldn't interrupt me anyway."

"And I shouldn't because…?"

"Because I'm the older--"

"Finish that sentence and you'll get this ice cream as a hat," Betty threatened, and her brother shrugged with a scowl.

"Whatever," he grumbled, glaring at her a little grudgingly "anyway, I was thinking we could get a job."

"A job? Sheldon, we're graduating in three months…"

"I mean a part-time job," he cleared "I heard the new fast-food is hiring people for the late afternoon shift – I think we could try to make it work out. It would at least help her a little with the bills until we get to college."

Betty thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Yes, we could – but we don't have just to study: you have your football team, and I have the gymnastics competition. You know those could gain us a scholarship for college if we also keep out grades up, right? That would save us a lot more money than we would gain in _years_ making hot dogs. It could be our only chance to get into a college _at all_."

He frowned. "Right."

There was a brief silence as they both looked at Mimi, who had apparently given up on trying to catch crickets and was now running after sparrows. Well, a smart dog she wasn't.

"Okay, spit it out," Betty finally said.

"Uh?"

"You have something in mind."

"You know me too well."

"I've known you since when we were two bunches of cells making mom crave for blueberries, remember?"

"Wasn't it blackberries?"

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Now spit it out – what do you have in mind?"

"Well, I was thinking…" he paused for a moment to see if she was about to crack some joke about him thinking, then he went on as she said nothing "we could do that job at alternate days – one day it would be me, the other one it would be you. In the end, we would get one pay check for both: it's not like getting one each, but it's still something, and with a little organization we could make it work without having to lose too much time. What do you think?"

Betty frowned in thought for a few moments, then she glanced at her brother as if she just saw him for the first time. "You know, this could _really_ work!"

Sheldon grinned, clearly pleased. "Hey, you're talking with a tactical genius here. Where are you going?"

"To apply for that job before someone else gets it – are you coming or not?"

"What's the rush? I don't think there is a crowd waiting to be hired," he protested a little, but he eventually got up and whistled to call Mimi back. After all, it was better not taking risks.


	3. Graduation

"You smell like cheese fries," Betty muttered, looking rather amused as she raised her gaze from the book she was reading "one could smell you coming from a mile away."

"Ha-ha. Really funny," Sheldon made a face, letting himself collapse on the lower bunk of the bed. Mimi immediately began to try climbing on the bed as well, enthusiastically waving her tail – Betty wasn't sure if she was happy to see her owner or just attracted by the scent of food. Probably both. "We'll see if you'll find it funny tomorrow," he added, absentmindedly reaching down to scratch Mimi's ears.

She grimaced a little at the thought. "Point taken," she said with a shrug "was it so bad?"

"You have no idea," her brother nearly growled "I hate kids. I _hate_ them – I kept hoping they would choke on their meals. And I don't want to see a cheeseburger, a hot-dog or a cheese fry ever again in my life."

"Really?"

"Well, no: I still like cheese fries. But I'm serious about the other stuff."

"I see. You know, you better take a shower if you want to sleep in here – I was serious when I said you smell of cheese fries."

"Hey, give me a minute!" Sheldon protested, unwilling to even hold his head up – why should he while the pillow was so comfy? "I've been _working_, you know."

"Poor baby," Betty said, rolling her eyes "do I have to remind you it was your idea?"

"You said it was a good one," her brother said almost defensively, smiling just a little as Mimi licked his hand to get his attention back.

"Yeah, I did. That's why you won't see me moping around after my turn tomorrow."

Sheldon childishly stuck out his tongue at her. "We'll see about that," he muttered sulkily.

* * *

Sheldon scowled a little as a familiar smell of cheese fries filled his nostrils, then he grinned as he thought that it was someone else's turn to struggle to get rid of that smell now. He was still grinning as he turned to the door. "So?" he asked as the door opened and his sister stepped inside.

Betty didn't even try to pretend she was fine. "You were right," she said, deadpanned "I will never have kids. Kids are _evil_. And so are cheeseburgers. And hot dogs. And those _darn_ cheese fries. Once I'm off to college, I won't set foot in a fast food ever again in my _life_."

"See? I _told_ you," Sheldon stated matter-of-factly, absentmindedly petting Mimi – she usually wasn't allowed upstairs, but he never lost a chance to let her in when their mother wasn't home "you should listen to your older--"

"_Sheldon."_

He shrugged before turning back to his book. "I don't need to finish the sentence for you to know it's the truth," he said with a grin, causing her to growl.

"Tell me again how much is this going to last?"

"Well, until we graduate, I guess. Unless we take that summer job, but I'd rather do something else, thank you," he made a face "mowing lawns under the sun in the middle of summer doesn't seem too bad in comparison," he added, and on his knees Mimi barked in agreement.

"Yeah, I bet," she sighed "well, at least this isn't going to last much, given that we get that scholarship to college."

"We will," Sheldon said confidently "we have some of the best grades, and we're both into sport teams: if we can't get a scholarship, nobody in our school will. Besides, I'm the best quarterback the team had in the last ten years," he grinned "_and_ I'm the captain, of course."

"How humble of you," Betty mocked him, throwing a pillow against him. He smirked, ducking under it.

"Well, I'm just speaking the tru-- hey, I told you to not chew my stuff!" he protested, taking a pen from Mimi's mouth. She waved her tail, clearly unaware of the fact Sheldon had just scolded her. "Do you think anyone is ever going to believe me if I say the dog ate my homework?" he pondered aloud, glancing at the undone homework scattered on the desk.

Betty chuckled. "I wouldn't count on it. So, plans for college?"

Sheldon scratched his chin. "Well…no idea. Maybe engineering."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Uh?"

"Well, it asks for more knowledge than building a doghouse does, you know. And you suck at maths."

"Hey, I got pretty good at it!"

"Because I ended up giving you private lessons," Betty taunted him "but you know, I won't be there to explain anything in college," she said, and the thought caused her to head to spin for a few moments – she had never thought about it, but it was highly probable they could end up in two different colleges. It felt odd to even think about it – they had never been separated for more than a few days, and she simply couldn't picture spending months apart from her twin. Her stomach clenched unpleasantly at the thought.

Sheldon didn't notice her hesitation and simply shrugged. "I'll make it through – I didn't even need your help _that_ much."

Betty rolled her eyes. "Yeah, _right_…"

"And what about you?"

"What?"

"What are you planning to do? Unless you want to stay here and work in that fast food for the rest of your life," he said with a grimace.

"Law, maybe," she shrugged "I can't think of anything else I like right now."

"Boooring," he taunted her.

"Yeah, because engineering is loads of fun."

"Well…" Sheldon hesitated "okay, one for you."

"Dang!"

"What?"

"You just said 'one for you' I didn't record it."

"Do you _really_ think I would ever say anything like that with a recorder around…?"

* * *

"…I fight authority, Authority always wins – well, I fight authority, Authority always wins…"

Betty rolled her eyes before raising her gaze from the book and glaring at her brother across the desk. "Sheldon?"

Her twin – who had been absentmindedly staring at the ceiling repeatedly humming 'Authority Song' for at least half an hour, noticeably pressing on her nerves – abruptly stopped to glance at her. "What?"

"Stop singing and _study_," she said, reaching for the book he had pushed away and pushing it back under his nose. "Graduation is in less than two weeks, remember?"

"This royally sucks," Sheldon muttered, heavily leaning in on the back of the chair and glancing in distaste at the book on the desk. Studying in June should be forbidden, he mused.

Betty shrugged, without raising her gaze from the book. "Tell me something I don't know. Now _study_."

"Wait, you're my baby sister! You don't get to-- hey!" he protested as a notebook narrowly missed his head.

"Next time I'm going to aim better," his sister said threateningly, resuming reading "now shut up and _focus_, okay? A few minutes of silence wouldn't hurt."

Sheldon made a face. "C'mon, people aren't _supposed_ to be studying with this weather!" he said, glancing out of the window. That weather would be perfect for a walk in the park, or riding the bike or something, not for staying cooped up in his room to study chemistry, he thought resentfully. But _no_, he had to stay there and study for those stupid tests to get all the credits he needed. Stupid high school graduation, he thought grimly as he glared at the book as if hoping it would catch on fire or something close if he glared at it angrily enough.

"Hey, it's not like I'm having fun either," Betty said with a shrug "I'd rather be out as well, but you know we've got to get this stuff done."

"But we could take a break."

"We already did. Twice."

"But it's my _birthday_," Sheldon said sulkily "I don't _want_ to spend my birthday studying!"

"Last time I checked it was my birthday too, but you don't see my whining," she glared at him "but hey, if you want to get out, you're welcome: I'll be able to study without hearing your awful singing or your complaints. Why should I stop you if you want to risk losing a scholarship for college and then going to summer school to get the credits you need to graduate?"

Sheldon shuddered at the thought. "Hell, _no_!" he muttered, grabbing his book again, and Betty had to fake a coughing fit to hide her laughter.

* * *

"Sheldon?"

"What?"

"You can keep trying until you get old, but that book isn't going to disappear if you scowl at it. Try reading."

He scoffed. "I _was_ reading," he protested before glancing at the clock "screw it, I'm stopping here. It's almost dinnertime anyway."

Betty had to hold back a yawn herself. "Yeah, you have a point," she said, closing the books and leaning back on the chair "any idea of when mom is getting back?"

"I don't even know if she's getting back for dinner," Sheldon muttered sulkily, absentmindedly playing with a pen and still glaring at the books scattered on the desk. He glanced at the phone, and Betty immediately guessed what he was thinking: they always got a call from their father on their birthday...but this time, no there would be no phone call. She swallowed a sudden lump in her throat – had there really been a time she wished he would just hung the phone after the first few moments of awkward conversation? She felt like she could kill to at least speak to him again, no matter about what.

"Some birthday, uh?" Sheldon said somewhat grimly, looking away from the phone.

Betty patted his shoulder. "C'mon, try to think we'll graduate in a couple of weeks. _Then_ we'll have the party of our lives."

Sheldon grinned. "Yeah, that sounds better. And there is the senior prom after the football match next week, remember?" he said excitedly, but Betty was pretty sure it was more because of his last match as the captain of the Richmond High football team than because of the prom – she knew her brother wanted to win that match just as much as she had wanted to win the regional gymnastics competition. He simply wouldn't be able to stand losing that match, especially since she _had_ lead her squad to win the competition, she thought with mild amusement.

"Yeah, I completely forgot about the prom. That too, I guess," she made a face "let me guess – you're going with Felicity, right?"

"Sure. She's the head cheerleader, and I'm the quarterback," he said with a shrug "that's how it goes. And she doesn't look bad anyway."

"Yeah, too bad she doesn't have two brain cells to rub together," she said, a little more sharply than she meant to for some reason.

"Well, it's not exactly her _brains_ I'm aft-- ow!"

"Jerk."

"Wow, _thank you_," he grumbled, rubbing his leg where she had kicked him "what about _you_? Did that skinny idiot ask you out already?"

"Who, Lionel?"

"A stupid name for a stupid guy," Sheldon muttered with a scowl. The fact he had pretty much threatened of serious bodily harm any guy who got too close to his sister – what the heck, she was his little sister...! – hadn't seemed to be enough to scare off that particular idiot. He would have taught him a lesson or two already if it wasn't for the fact Batty had threatened to skin him alive if he ever tried. Not that he was afraid, of course, still… "I don't like him."

Betty rolled her eyes. "What's your problem with him anyway? It's not like he's my boyfriend or something. He's just a friend."

"Hey, you can't expect me to like whoever is after my baby sister," he said with a smirk "it's a big brother thing."

"You're _not_ my big brother," she protested.

"I am, by four minutes," Sheldon said stubbornly, folding his arms on his chest "deal with it."

"Yeah, some difference…"

"It's more than enough for _me_."

Betty was about to protest, but she was cut off as someone opened the door. "Still studying?" their mother asked, her hand still on the doorknob.

"Hey, give us a break," Sheldon said with almost comical despair, and she laughed.

"Alright, you look worn out enough," she said "do you still have enough strength to drag yourselves to the cinema?"

"Cinema?" Sheldon asked, looking suddenly much more lively. Going to the cinema was something they hadn't gotten to do much in those last few months. Not that they couldn't afford it once in a while, but it was better to save up as much money as they could. Just in case, their mother had said, and Betty was pretty sure it was because she hoped to be able to pay for college should one of them not get the scholarship they were pretty sure to get.

"Well, last time I checked it's _someone_'s birthday today," she said with a wink "and judging from the bunch of people I found on our lawn, it seems like I wasn't the only one to remember it."

"Uh?"

Both Sheldon and Betty got up and glanced out of the window to see some of their friends hanging outside. "There you are!" Brian, one of the members of the football team, waved his hand at them "move on you two, or we'll be late! It's not like we're going to wait for you forever because it's your birthday, you know!"

"Hey, it's not like you _warned_ us," Betty replied, sounding more amused than annoyed.

"It wouldn't have made much of a surprise if we did," Linda said with a snicker "surprised?"

Betty laughed. "You bet!"

"So, are you getting out or are you just going to stay in because you know that from now on you'll be legally responsible for any trouble you might get into?" Ned yelled.

"Dang, that's a flipside I didn't consider," Sheldon said half seriously, causing everyone to laugh "we'll be down in a minute!"

"Did you know…?" Betty asked, turning to their mother.

Theresa shrugged. "I had no idea, really: I met them on my way here. They had already planned out everything – I hope you feel like watching the latest James Bond movie."

She chuckled. "I guess it will do," she said, glancing at the window somewhat fondly. Man, she was going to miss them once they all got to college…!

"I'm going!" Sheldon announced, rushing to the door "I was born first, and I get the greetings first!"

Betty grumbled. "Are you _sure_ he's not regressing rather than getting older?"

"You know how he's like," her mother said with a shrug, patting her shoulder "now get out and have some fun, alright? You didn't get much of it lately, and you're too young to--" she trailed off as some shouts and loud laughters came from outside. She glanced out to see that most of the group had apparently just tackled her son to the ground, making him yell and laugh at the same time. "Is that normal?"

"Yeah, football players do it all the time – I guess it's their way to say hi to each other," Betty said, grabbing the keys "bye, mom!"

"Have fun," Theresa repeated as her daughter rushed out to join the group, then she sighed, glancing down at the books still on the desk "my, how they've grown," she muttered to no one in particular, a small smile on her lips.

* * *

"So, who's the best quarterback ever?" Sheldon repeated for the eleventh time, a wide grin on his face as they finally made it out from the huge, improvised party that had taken place in the school's football camp right after their victory over some other football team with a ridiculous name Betty couldn't even remember.

She laughed. "You're never going to stop until I give in, uh?" she said, looking at him. It was clear he and the other team members had been too busy partying to bother staying too much in the showers – he still had some mud on his right cheek, and some of what was probably one of the cheerleaders' lip gloss smeared on the left one. It looked like that airhead of the cheer squad's head couldn't even wait for that night's prom, she thought, a little annoyed by the thought.

Sheldon's grin widened. "Nope. Who's the best quarterback--"

"Okay, fine," she rolled her eyes in mock exasperation, still smiling "you are."

"Darn right I am," her brother boasted, and Betty knew she was never going to hear the end of it. A ridiculously vivid image of a much older Sheldon boring his grandchildren to death by repeating again and again and _again_ how he had made the victory point in his final match as the quarterback of the Richmond High football team suddenly crossed her mind, making her laugh.

He blinked. "What?"

Betty waved her hand, still snickering. "Nothing," she said as they walked through their lawn "anyway, would you mind stop behaving like a peacock now, champion? I didn't bother you this much when I won the gymnastic competition, you know."

"Well, you should have – it's not my fault if you lost your chance!"

She shook her head. "Idiot," she muttered, then she frowned slightly as she stopped at the mail box to check the mail "it's a pity mom couldn't see the match," she said quietly.

Sheldon's grin wavered, but just for one moment. "It's okay – Brian's father recorded it, and I'll be getting a copy."

"Aw, man – does it mean you're going to make us watch it again a thousand times?" she asked, checking the mail…and she suddenly froze as she saw two envelopes with their names written on them.

"Make it a million," her brother snickered "then again, I guess a billion would…hey, are you okay?" he asked, looking at her with a puzzled expression. She was staring at the mail in her hands, looking completely dumbstruck. "Betty…?" he called, waving a hand in front of her eyes "planet Earth calling!"

"The letters from college," she said flatly, turning to him. She was holding two envelopes from two different colleges – one was addressed to Sheldon, and one was addressed to her.

Sheldon found himself unable to speak for a few moments as he stared down at the one with his name on it. "Let's get in," he heard himself saying "we better open them inside."

His sister nodded. "Okay," was all she muttered as she unlocked the front door and stepped in. She swallowed as she heard him closing the door behind himself. "Here's yours," she said, handling one envelope to him. He nodded, taking it, and he drew in a deep breath before opening it. They both took their letter at the same moment.

Betty felt her heart skipping a beat as her eyes finally found the word she had been looking for while scanning the letter – _accepted_. She had officially gotten the scholarship she had been hoping for, she though, a wide smile spreading on her face, but she immediately stopped smiling as she wondered if her brother had gotten it as well. How would she behave if he hadn't? That was something too serious for her to tease him.

She raised her gaze from her letter to glance at him, and she was relieved to see a huge grin spreading on his face. He finally looked back at her and waved his letter in front of her nose. "Guess what? I'm in!" he boasted, making her laugh in utter relief…the kind of relief that makes people do the oddest things. Sheldon blinked and staggered back as his sister suddenly gave him a tight hug – it had never happened before, not as far as he could remember. He stood still for a moment, stunned, then he shrugged and returned the hug for a few moments, still euphoric – what the heck, they could make an exception for moments like that!

"See? I _told_ you we would get in," he said excitedly as she pulled back "I can't wait to tell mom!"

"Me neither," Betty said with a smile, but her smile wavered just a little as she glanced at the envelope still in his hands "you're moving pretty far, uh?"

Sheldon frowned just a little. "Yeah – but it's not like you're going to be much closer," he said.

"True," she shrugged "so…no more fights for the upper bunk, uh?" she said, swallowing a little as she realized that they were really going to spend most of the year apart from each other. No more bantering, no more teasing, no more fooling around, no more _anything_ for months. It felt so odd to think about it…!

He seemed unsure for a moment. "Well, we'll still do that in summer holidays," he said "and then there is Christmas, and Easter, and…" he paused "not that I'm going to miss it, you know," he snorted, folding his arms.

She rolled her eyes. "Miss it? Ah, hardly!"

There was a brief silence as they both stared down at their letters.

"It feels odd though, doesn't it?" Betty finally said.

Sheldon nodded. "Yes. You know, maybe…" he cleared his throat "maybe I'll miss it. Just a little. When things get boring, you know."

She chuckled. "Yes, same here. But there will still be roommates to fight with."

"Sure," he said with a shrug, but he didn't sound convinced: he was sure it just wouldn't be the same. He was about to add something else, but he was interrupted by the noise of keys turning in the front door – their mother was home. They glanced at each other for a moment, thinking exactly the same thing.

"I'm older, I tell her first!" Sheldon yelled, rushing to the door.

"Ah, forget it! Get back here, you…!" she retorted, and she wasn't able to hold back a laugh as she ran after him.

* * *

"That gown makes you kinda fat, you know," Sheldon said with a snicker.

"Nice," Betty muttered, rolling her eyes before glancing down at the gown she was going to wear for the graduation ceremony "we'll only have to wear these for a few hours anyway."

"Okay, fine, whatever," he muttered "but the hat makes you look stupid."

"Well, _you_ don't need a hat for that…"

"Hey!"

"Shut up, you had it coming," Betty said with a shrug "and careful to not spill anything on those, we have to return them on Friday," she added, glaring at her brother as he grabbed a glass of milk from the desk.

"I'm not that clumsy, you know," he said somewhat resentfully, glancing at the clothes he was wearing in distaste. He had never been a sentimental oaf, but he still would have liked to keep his graduation gown, or at least the hat, as a memory. But their mother was right, renting them for a day would be much less expensive. Besides, there would still be the photos, he thought with a sigh, and nobody would have to know they had rented them. Their mother always said money doesn't buy happiness, but he was still pretty darn sure it would have helped. One of the reasons why he wanted to make sure he would never have to struggle to make ends meet, he mused.

"So, ready to get our piece of paper?"

"Isn't there any way to trade it with a full-paid vacation in a tropical paradise?"

"I'm afraid not. But it's your key to access to college and hopefully a better job than making hot dogs."

He shrugged. "Okay then, I guess the piece of paper will have to do."

* * *

"Is he done yet?"

"No."

"Is he done yet?"

"No."

"Is he done yet?"

"_No_."

"Is he --"

"_Sheldon_!"

He shrugged – what the heck, she was so easy to annoy that it wasn't even fun anymore. "It's not my fault if this is boring," he said, glaring at the principal as he kept blabbering on the stage "why doesn't he start to hand over the diplomas already?"

"Well, he's finally getting everyone's attention for ten minutes straight," one of their friends muttered from behind them "let him have fun."

"I'm be more glad to let him if his _fun_ wasn't boring the heck out of me," Sheldon grumbled, but just as he finished speaking everyone clapped, however briefly – it looked like the speech was over. "Finally," he said as the principal finally began calling the students. All students would raise the diploma over their head to get their dose of applauses before moving on and sitting back in the crowd, and Sheldon was quickly getting bored. Again.

"How much does it take him to get to us anyway?" he muttered just as the principal called the next student.

"Elizabeth Director!"

Sheldon's jaw dropped. "What? Hey, it's not fair! How comes you get to be called first? I'm older!" he complained as Betty just grinned at him and went to take her diploma. "Not fair," he repeated with a scowl while he watched her sister getting on the stage, but he did clap his hands like everyone else as she took her diploma.

"Sheldon Director!"

The scowl on his face immediately turned into a smirk when he got up to get on the stage, just as his sister sat back to her place. Betty saw his smirk and followed him with her gaze somewhat worriedly as he took the diploma, and she couldn't hold back an odd noise between a groan and a laugh as Sheldon loudly informed the principal exactly _what_ part of his anatomy he wanted him to kiss, causing the whole audience to roar with laughter at the poor man's flabbergasted expression. Betty turned to see her mother trying to hide an amused smirk behind her hand a few rows behind.

"You know, your brother really is something," one of their classmates told her, still laughing.

Betty rolled her eyes, still smiling. "Yeah, you have no idea," she said just as her brother went back to his seat, still laughing and getting several pats on his back by their schoolmates…soon to be former schoolmates, Betty thought. "Sheldon, what the heck…?"

"Aw, c'mon, you know he had it coming – it was the payback for all the detentions he gave us," her brother said with a shrug, letting himself fall on the chair, still smirking "so…it's over, uh?" he said, glancing at the stage where the principal was still handing over diplomas with all the dignity he could muster.

"Well, we have to wait until he's done with the diplomas, and then there is the hat-throwing part. _Then_ it will be over."

"Oh, right," Sheldon glanced at her challengingly "I bet I'll throw it higher!"

Betty grinned. "We'll see about that," she said. And, for the rest of the day, they kept arguing on who had indeed thrown it higher even though everyone they knew claimed they had thrown it at same high.


	4. Crippled

_A/N: well, this is where things stop being lighthearted. No, we still didn't get to the actual incest_ _part, but some rather bad stuff happens here. It's nothing too gory, but I thought I should warn just to be safe _;)

_

* * *

  
_

Leafleting wasn't quite as stressing as working in a fast food, but Betty had to admit that it could get rather tiring…especially when it involves walking across the whole town in the merciless summer heat. Thankfully it was over for that day, she thought as she walked towards her home. Even though she knew the money would come in a handy once she left for college, there were moments she still wondered if it was really worth spending her summer – the summer right after _graduation_ – like that. Maybe she should take a break after all, at least for a week or--

"Tired, baby sister?"

Betty raised her gaze to see Sheldon waving at her from Mrs. Creed's lawn. The old lady lived alone just across the street, and she had known her and her brother since when they were born, eventually developing a soft spot for them…not to mention she was a great cook and often offered them mouth-watering pies. Anytime she asked Sheldon to mow her lawn or to do some other manual job, he always got something good to eat: it was one of the reasons why he would always do any job she needed for half of the price he would usually ask. She was probably the closest thing to a grandmother they had, Betty mused…and probably the only person in the world that called her with her full name on a regular basis.

"You don't look much better, you know," she pointed out. It was a rather hot day, and Sheldon's t-shirt – his 'mowing t-shirt', as he called what was now reduced to little more than a grass-smeared rag – was soaked with sweat. He surely wasn't relaxing either.

Her brother shrugged, stopping mowing to talk with her. "Nah, I did most of the work already – doing the rest will take a minute. And it's going to be worth it," he said with a wink "there's going to be some dessert this evening."

"Yeah, I bet," Betty said, her mouth watering just a little at the thought of Mrs. Creed's pies. She was about to ask something else, but Mrs. Creed called her from a window.

"Good afternoon, Elizabeth," she said, waving at her "I'm making some lemonade for your brother – do you want some too?"

Her throat burning, Betty nodded. "I'd love some, thanks," she said, and the old lady smiled before disappearing from the window.

"Spotlight stealer," Sheldon muttered, but he was smiling a little as he bent to pick up something from the lawn that had suddenly grabbed his attention – a firework, probably an unexploded one. "A lot of kids have been playing with these lately. They scare the crap out of Mimi," he complained, holding up the firework.

Betty was slightly amused by the scowl on his face – he used to find fireworks funny before he realized they scared his beloved pet – but most of all she seemed worried. "Sheldon, that's _not_ a good idea," she said, worriedly looking at the unexploded firework in her brother's hand "did you miss the 'don't pick up unexploded fireworks' lesson when we were kids?"

"C'mon, don't be such a spoilsport – this thing isn't going to do anything. See?" he threw it on the air and caught it with his right hand "your big brother has everything under control," he added with a taunting laugh, holding out the object as if to prove his point – and he would later be grateful that he wasn't keeping it any closer to his face.

She rolled her eyes, turning to walk closer to the house and off the lawn. "Big brother, right," she muttered "you better not do anything stupid with--"

A sudden explosion, immediately followed by Sheldon's terrible, agonizing cry, covered her last words. Betty promptly turned to see him collapse on the ground, surrounded by a cloud of smoke, clutching his right arm to his chest as he kept screaming.

"Sheldon!" she cried out, rushing over him and kneeling by his side "are you--"she trailed off, her hand covering her mouth as she tried to not gag when her gaze fell on the bloody mess of burnt flesh and shattered bones that had once been her twin brother's right hand.

"Elizabeth? Sheldon? What's happening?" Mrs. Creed asked as she opened the door of her house and walked out – but she stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening in horror as she saw Sheldon screaming on the ground, surrounded by smoke. He was clutching his right arm to his chest, and it was with dawning horror that the old woman realized that his old t-shirt was turning red with blood.

"I…he…" Betty swallowed "call an ambulance, and warn our mother. He had an accident," she finally said, trying to keep her voice as firm as she could. As the Mrs. Creed ran back inside to use the phone, Betty coughed because of the smoke and the smell of burnt flesh lingering there and glanced down at her twin.

He wasn't screaming anymore now – just gasping, as if he didn't have enough voice or strength left to scream, but his features were twisted into a horribly pained grimace, his face drenched with sweat. His eyes were tightly shut, his teeth clenched as he tried to stand the agonizing pain, and there were a few cuts on his face as well…but that was nothing compared to the conditions of his hand.

"Sheldon?" she heard herself calling again as she gently tried to stop him from clutching his injuried hand – he could make the damage worse if he kept doing that, she thought confusedly…even though she realized that there wasn't much more damage that could be done to that hand, that the only thing the doctors could do once he got in the hospital was to amputate the limb.

She swallowed as she saw the hand, or what was left of it, again – it was a terrible sight, the whiteness of the shattered bones horribly stark in that blackened mess of torn flesh, and it was bleeding profusely. "Keep still," Betty managed to utter as she reached to rip away one of Sheldon's sleeves and tried to use it as a rudimental tourniquet, yanking it tight right above her brother's wrist. The bleeding slowed down, though not as much has she had hoped…but it was still something, she thought, turning her gaze back on her brother's face, still twisted in a pained grimace, and she suddenly felt horribly powerless. She somehow managed to move him from his curled position and let him lie on his back, his head resting on her lap.

Sheldon's left hand instinctively reached up to grab hers, and she didn't hesitate to hold it back tightly, not caring if it was smeared with blood. He managed to open his eyes, his chest rising and falling quickly as he took short, shuddering breaths. "How…bad is it?" he managed to gasp. He tried to lift his head to see, but Betty put a hand on his forehead to keep him from doing so.

"Don't," was all she managed to say, but the desolated look he saw on her face as she glanced down at him was enough for him to understand that it was very, very bad. This, however, barely worried him in the daze of pain that seemed to surround his mind. He closed his eyes again, desperately wishing he could just pass out – all he cared about was getting it, the pain, to _stop._

He let out a sob of pain. "Please," he muttered without even realizing he was speaking, whatever strength he had left quickly leaving him because of the shock and the pain and the blood loss, his mind dazed – he hadn't even registered it was her lap his head was leaning onto, nor that it was her hand that was holding his good one "_please_, make it stop, make it _stop_…!"

She swallowed. "It's alright, the ambulance is coming," she said somewhere above him, putting her other hand on his forehead, her usually collected voice trembling. "Hang on – you will be fine, just don't…"

Whatever she said next was completely lost to him as he finally, _finally_ slipped out of consciousness.

* * *

"Mom?" Betty called somewhat nervously, still standing on the doorway "can I come in?"

Theresa nodded a little tiredly, putting away the washcloth she had used to wipe the sweat off Sheldon's face. Some of the dampness on his face wasn't really sweat, but she hadn't said anything: she knew her son wouldn't want anyone to know he had actually wept. "Sure," she said quietly with a tired smile "just keep quiet, he's sleeping," she added even though knowing perfectly there was simply no way he could wake up after the doctor had given him some morphine-based painkiller. He would probably keep sleeping until the next morning.

Betty nodded and walked closer, but she avoided looking at her brother's pale, sleeping face – at least that horribly pained grimace wasn't there anymore. She just folded her arms and uncomfortably stood there, not knowing what to say. She hadn't known what she could do or say for the whole day, and it had been a nightmare – at some point it had felt like that horrible day would never end, and she could distinctly remember thinking that it _had_ to be a nightmare and that she would wake up eventually.

There was a part of her mind that simply refused to accept what had happened – and God, it had been so fast: Sheldon was perfectly fine and _laughing_ just one moment before the explosion, and then he was on the ground, screaming, his right hand torn apart. It had been so sudden that thinking about it felt unreal, even though the illusion was shattered everytime she glanced down at the blood smeared on her clothes. It _had_ happened, and how.

She bit her lower lip, trying to not think about it. "If there's anything I can do--" she finally began, but she trailed off as her mother shook her head.

"You did more than enough already," she said "if you hadn't been there to call for help and to slow down the blood loss, things could have gotten much worse. You handled the situation really well. I'm proud of you."

"But I should have _stopped_ him," she burst out, speaking eagerly as if those words had been tormenting her for that whole, cursed day "I knew it was dangerous – I tried to warn him, but he wouldn't listen, and I didn't even _try _to take it away from him, and…and…!"

She had no time to add anything else, for her mother had already grabbed her and pulled her in a tight hug. "Hush, it's fine," Theresa said softly, rubbing her back "there was nothing more you could do. Had you tried to take that firework from his hands, it would have probably exploded in yours anyway. Or it could have wounded both of you if he tried to get it back – you know how he's like," she said with something remarkably similar to a fond smile as she turned to glance at her son.

Betty swallowed before pulling back with a nod. "Yes, I know," she said, smiling weakly herself.

Her mother reached to ruffle her hair. "Go home and rest, alright? You need to," she added, worriedly looking at the dark rings under her eyes and feeling somewhat guilty. She guessed it was normal that she would mainly worry about Sheldon, but in the whole day she hadn't even stopped for a moment to think what Betty could be feeling like, alone in the waiting room of the hospital.

"I'm not tired."

"Betty, I'm your mother. Try as you want, but you can't fool me."

She bit her lower lip – the mere idea of getting home alone and sleep in their room without her brother to grumble because she got the upper bunk felt nearly terrified her for some reason. "I want to stay."

"There is nothing more you can do for him, honey. Go to rest."

"What about you?"

Her mother sat next to Sheldon's bed. "I'll stay with him tonight – I shouldn't be allowed, but working here does have some advantages," she said absentmindedly, putting a hand on his forehead "if he recovers well, he could get back home in a couple of days – I think he'd rather stay there. I'll ask a few days of permission so I can stay home with him."

Betty blinked – she had never taken a permission since when she could remember, and the one time she had tried to ask for it the hospital's direction had denied it with their usual excuse: they had no one that replace her in her turns. "What if they don't let you?"

"They'd just have to _try_," Theresa said almost viciously, and Betty knew that all the forces of nature would be nothing compared to her mother if they actually refused to give her a few days of permission to spend beside her son. She nodded numbly, glancing at her twin again, and she felt her stomach clenching as her gaze fell on the bandaged stump. She was barely able to suppress a shudder at the thought of what his hand looked like after the explosion.

"Wasn't there any other way…?" Betty heard herself asking. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to know what his reaction upon finding out what happened would be like. The most rational part of her mind kept telling her it could be worse: the explosion could have costed him more than just one hand – she knew of people who had fireworks exploding close to them and were blinded by the fragments – and he had lost the right hand while he was left-handed, so it would take him less effort to adapt…still, waking up to find out your hand was gone surely wouldn't be a nice experience. And getting used to it wasn't going to be easy.

Theresa shook her head sadly. "No. I have seen…well…" her voice trembled at the thought. In all the years she had worked in that hospital as a nurse, she had seen countless things whose sight most people wouldn't stand without at least gagging, and she had never even winced – but this time it had been different: it was her son's hand whose amputation she had witnessed, not some random stranger's, and it was something no mother would ever want to witness. She took a deep breath, trying to not think about it. "I was technically on duty, so I could assist throughout the surgery," she said, oblivious of how pale her daughter had gone at the thought "I wasn't supposed to, but Dr. Whitmore was kind enough to let me. I wanted to make sure nothing else could be done. And believe me, amputating it was the only solution. There was nothing else to do."

Betty nodded: she remembered all too well what her brother's hand looked like, and she had no trouble to believe it. "I understand," she said quietly, then a sudden thought hit her "did he…wake up at some point?"

"Only once," her mother replied, her gaze a little unfocused "but he was still confused. He fell asleep almost immediately after he was given some painkillers," she quickly lied as she noticed her worried expression.

Actually, while confused, for a few minutes Sheldon had been lucid enough to realize what had happened. Theresa didn't think she would ever be able to forget his horrified expression as he saw the bandaged stump where his hand should have been, nor she would be able to forget how he had cried when she had held him close, trying to tell him that everything would be fine and that he could get over it, her own voice strained.

_I'm sorry, mom._

"Mom?"

Theresa blinked. "Sorry, I was a little distracted," she said, turning back to Betty, and she was surprised to see she was sitting on the ground next to the bed, her back leaning against the wall "what are you doing?"

"I'm staying," she simply replied, and it was clear she wasn't about to change her mind. Her mother had to smile as Betty reached up to gently rest her hand on Sheldon's arm, her gaze a little unfocused.

"He would be grateful," Theresa said softly.

Betty found the strength to smile a little. "He would just tell me that doesn't need any help from his baby sister. Or something like that."

"I never said he would _admit_ it," her mother replied, and both of them let out something resembling to a chuckle before they fell silent again, Sheldon's steady breathing the only noise in the room.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to stay?" Theresa asked once again, worriedly glancing at her. She knew she couldn't stay home with her son for more than a few days – she was needed at the hospital after all – but she was still unwilling to leave Betty alone with her still recovering brother. Yes, he was recovering well, but still… "I could see if I can find someone else at the hospital to--"

Betty shook her head. "Don't worry, I'll be fine," she said, trying to sound surer than she was "he sleeps most of the time anyway. I can handle it."

Her mother hesitated before nodding with a small smile. "I'm sure you can – but I want you to call me if there is any problem, alright?"

"Sure."

Truth to be told, the idea of having to deal with Sheldon herself made her a little worried. She didn't think he would give her any trouble, but he hadn't even spoken to her since when they had brought him back home. He would spend the whole day in bed, and he probably wouldn't even eat without their mother looking after him – she had moved to their room to stay near him as much as she could while Betty slept in hers. As for herself, Betty felt horribly powerless, unable to help as she was: any time times she had tried to talk to him he wouldn't simply ignore her, his pale face turned to the wall. Aside from their mother, he just wouldn't speak to anyone at all: even when their friends paid him a visit, none of them ever managed to get one single word out of him.

He probably just needed some time as their mother had said…but it didn't make the situation any more bearable, Betty thought with a sigh as she stepped into their room to leave some water on the nightstand. The tray with his breakfast was still almost intact – Sheldon had barely eaten anything. A sudden sense of helplessness pervaded her as she glanced at his still form: if only he hadn't been careless enough to pick up that cursed firework, if only he had listened to her warnings…if only she could _make_ him listen!

She drew in a deep breath, trying to chase those thoughts from her mind, and turned to silently leave.

"Where is mom?"

Betty froze as her brother suddenly spoke to her for the first time after the accident, and she was almost scared to hear how strained and weak his voice sounded. She swallowed and glanced at him: he was resting on his back, the bandaged stump resting on his stomach, his eyes shut.

"She had to go to work," she said, trying to keep her voice as calm as she could "do you need something?"

"The painkillers," he rasped, and it was clear he was in pain – he was gritting his teeth, his face glistening with sweat "it hurts."

Betty shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't give you any more painkillers," she said, feeling a lump in her throat and a sudden urge to leave that room. She turned to walk away. "Just try to sleep, maybe the pills you already took will take effect lat--"

"I _can't_ sleep!" Sheldon suddenly shouted. There was the sound of something hitting the ground, and Betty turned to see her brother standing net to the bunk bed – how had he managed to get up weak as he was beyond her. "The painkillers," he rasped, reaching out with the only hand he had left "I need more."

She shook her head. "No," she said somewhat sternly, holding them out of his reach "you already had your daily dose. The doctor said--"

"I don't _care_!" Sheldon snarled, suddenly stepping closer, much to Betty's surprise. He took a few more staggering steps forward, leaning against the wall for support – his breathing was coming in gasps, his forehead glistening with sweat, a pained grimace on his face. "It hurts, and I want it to _stop_. Hand over those goddamn pills!"

She bit her lower lip before shaking her head again. "No," she said firmly. It was nearly painful watching him in so much pain, but she couldn't give in, no matter how much she pitied him. It was for his own good, she repeated to herself. For his own good.

"Who the hell do you think you _are_?" her brother nearly screamed, his pale face suddenly reddening with fury "you can't tell me what I should do. You are my little sister! You can't…tell me…" he trailed off with a gasp, leaning against the wall even more as his left hand grasped the bandaged stump. He gritted his teeth to stand the dreadful pain and shot a deadly glare at Betty.

"Fine, I might be your little sister – but I'm the only one capable of thinking rationally right now," she said dryly, narrowing her eyes "get back to bed and wait for the pills you already took to take effect, Sheldon. You're still weak."

"You must be happy to see me like this, aren't you?" he nearly screamed, his only hand balling into a tight fist before slamming against the wall violently enough to break the skin on his knuckles "_aren't you?_"

She gritted her teeth. He couldn't really think... "_Happy_?"

"You always wanted to be the strongest one, didn't you? My _perfect_ little sister – you always wanted…" he paused and shut his eyes, trying to ignore the pain "you always wanted to be better. Aren't you _glad _now that you can see me like this any time you want? Now that I'm _crippled_? You're waiting for me to _beg_ you, aren't you? Ah! Keep waiting!" he rambled, his thoughts getting more and more confused. He barely knew what he was saying anymore, but one thing was clear in his mind: he had to get those pills, he needed the pain to _stop_.

"You're insane if you really think I'm happy to see you like this!" she shouted "if you ever say anything that _stupid_ again, I assure you that your hand will be the last of your problems!"

He was about to shout back, but a fresh wave of pain coming from the stump reminded him what the actual reason of the fight was. "The painkillers," he repeated, his voice a low growl "I _need_ them."

Betty sighed, trying to be reasonable. Someone _had _to be reasonable. "You're in too much pain to think clearly--"

"That's why I need those darn pills!" her brother nearly roared before leaping forward, trying to snatch the painkillers from her hand. He was surprisingly quick, and Betty had to admit she hadn't seen that coming, but she was quicker. She leapt backwards, holding the pills out of his reach, and Sheldon stumbled forward, falling on the ground with a yelp

"You _idiot_," she muttered, but she had a worried look on her face as she quickly stuffed the painkillers in her pocket and walked closer to her brother. He made a feeble attempt at getting up, but he was still weak, in pain, his head spun and he only had one hand left to help himself up, so all he could do was curling up in a fetal position, nearly sobbing with pain as he clutched the bandaged stump to his chest.

"Did you hit your arm?" Betty asked as she bent next to him, trying to take the injured arm away from his grasp – clutching the healing stump like that wouldn't make him any good.

Sheldon's good hand reached up to grab the collar of her shirt, but his grip was so feeble that it took no effort for her to get it off her. "Don't be stupid, you'd only manage to hurt yourself further. Did you hit your arm?" she repeated.

Her brother gave a dry sob, and Betty decided to take it as a yes. "You shouldn't have gotten up," she scolded him, trying to help him back on his feet without much success – he just stayed limp and didn't cooperate at all.

"This is…your fault," he rasped, his eyes tightly shut – he would be darned if he ever let his sister see him crying, he thought…but God, the pain! It was worse than anything he could even imagine until a few days before. It felt like someone was pressing white-hot iron on his flesh, and it was agonizingly painful. "You should have given me those…those…" another sob escaped him, and he gritted his teeth, struggling to not scream.

Betty opened her mouth to protest and say it wasn't her fault if he was such a stubborn idiot, but she decided against it – he simply wasn't able to think rationally, so what was the point in discussing? "Okay, whatever, it's my fault. Now _get up_. Staying on the floor won't help you," she said, trying once again to hold him up.

Sheldon growled, trying to shrug her hands off him. "Don't – I don't need you help! I just need the pills!"

"Forget it," she snapped, "you just need to sleep, and you would be sleeping already if you weren't so stubborn. Come on, you have to get up now," she added, trying to sound less harsh.

He slapped her hand away. "I can stand up by myself!" he snapped.

"Yeah, I _see_," she rolled her eyes before straightening herself and stepping back – it looked like he simply would have to find out by himself how wrong he was "then get up," she said almost challengingly, folding her arms. Despite his rage he was clearly in pain and he looked more vulnerable than she had ever seen him, and there was a part of her mind that tried to tell her that maybe she should be more understanding, but she refused to listen. He was just too stubborn for his own good, that was it.

Her brother glared daggers at her, then he reached up with his left hand to grab the nightstand for support before struggling to get back on his feet, desperately trying to ignore the waves of pain coming from is mutilated arm. He almost made it, but before he could actually stand up his hand suddenly slipped off the nightstand he had been leaning onto, causing him to fall on his knees with a hiss of pain.

"See? You can't make it now," Betty stated matter-of-factly, walking by his side, but her grip was unusually gentle as she grabbed his good arm "let me help you, okay?"

She half-expected him to protest and try to break free from his grasp, but he didn't move or even raise his gaze form the floor. He just stayed on his knees staring down with dazed eyes, his breathing heavy, the stump still clutched to his chest. "Sheldon?" Betty called, slightly concerned.

Her concern grew as her brother took a shuddering breath before a fit of violent sobs suddenly shook his whole frame. That wasn't like him – that wasn't like him _at all _– but it wasn't completely unexpected. Truth to be told, Betty had been surprised by the lack of emotional reaction he had showed until that moment, at least in front of her. He was only little more than a boy, after all – a boy who had just lost his right hand in a horribly painful way: he would _have_ to let it out at some point…though he could have chosen a better moment and a better place, she mused somewhat uncomfortably as she knelt next to him. Maybe realizing he was actually helpless right now had just been the last straw.

"It's your fault this happened," he muttered without looking at her, his voice broken "your fault…you should have warned me. You should have…" he trailed off and sobbed again.

Betty was about to protest, to say that she _had_ tried to warn him about picking up that darn firework and that it wasn't her fault if he hasn't listened, but she held back: starting to argue with him in a such state of mind wouldn't accomplish anything. Besides, he didn't really think it was her fault – he _couldn't_ really think it was, she thought, awkwardly putting a hand on his shoulder.

She expected him to shrug her hand off him again, but he once again surprised her by leaning on her, his left arm wrapping around her and holding her tightly, his sweaty forehead resting on her shoulder. She hesitated just for a moment before awkwardly returning the embrace, holding back his shaking frame as the fit of sobs slowly subsided, leaving him almost breathless – but he still wouldn't look up at her.

Betty opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out – what could she even say? – so she simply sighed and gently grabbed her brother's good arm, passing it over her shoulders. "Here, lean on me."

She waited for him to protest, but he didn't. He leant on her as he got up, his gaze still dazed, saying nothing. He didn't even speak as she held him up until they reached the bed, nor as she helped him to lie back down – maybe the painkillers he had had earlier were starting to take effect.

"Now try to sleep, okay?" she said a little awkwardly, pulling up the sheets on him, careful to not touch his stump. She kept her eyes downcast, trying to avoid his gaze – not that it was difficult since he kept his own eyes fixed on the wall. He didn't reply, nor he showed any sign of hearing her. Betty sighed, shaking her head slightly and turning to leave, but she stopped as Sheldon's hand suddenly reached up and grabbed her wrist.

"No," he rasped "wait."

Betty had to hold back a sigh of relief as he spoke, and she had to force herself to be stern. "I already told you that you aren't getting any pill out of me," said, trying to step away, but his grip on her wrist tightened.

"Please," he nearly pleaded, his voice terribly strained "wait."

She hesitated just for a moment, confused – now _that_ wasn't like him either – then she gently squeezed back his hand and sat at the edge of the bed. "You're as stubborn as a kid," she said somewhat sternly, but her gaze had softened a little as she let him rest his head on her lap, just like she had when he had that dreadful accident.

"I'd like to see you in my place," he muttered, but he didn't seem to have the strength to open his eyes and glare at her. He simply held her hand a little tighter and clenched his teeth, trying to ignore the pain, which at least was starting to get a little more bearable. A little.

She opened her mouth to speak, then she closed it without saying anything and reached up to put a hand on his forehead. "You're a little warm," she finally said.

"I'm afraid that's not my main concern."

"Right," she sighed "look, if I could give you more painkillers, I would. You _know_ I would. But the doctor--"

"Screw the doctor."

"Sheldon…"

"Do you really think the only problem is the _pain_?" he growled, finally opening his eyes to look at her, and she bit her lower lip as she noticed they were moist "I didn't break my arm or scrap my knee, Betty – _I lost my hand_. I'm…" he paused and swallowed "crippled."

"Oh, _please_," Betty said, rolling her eyes "and here I thought you were a tough guy."

"I _am_," was the immediate reply, and she had to hold back a smile – it was just how she expected him to react. She knew him too well.

"Then quit speaking like your life is over, self-pity doesn't look good on you. You can live without a hand – a lot of people can live without whole limbs. Why shouldn't you? You're a big boy," she said with a little smile, giving his good hand another gentle squeeze "you can do just fine with one hand. You'll get over it."

Something vaguely resembling the shadow of a smile crept on Sheldon's face. "You sound like mom."

"And mom is always right about you, isn't she?"

"Low blow," he took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to stay focused on the conversation to not think about the still burning pain "fine, maybe you're right. I'll get over it," he frowned, glancing down at the bandaged stump, then he gritted his teeth "darn right I will!" he said louder.

Betty smiled – she was sure he would now: it had become a matter of pride. "That's more like it," she said, letting go of his good hand to ruffle his hair "now sleep, okay?"

"You can't order me around – you're my baby sister," he reminded her as she got up from the edge of the bed, letting his head rest on the pillow again.

Betty groaned, unsure if she should feel annoyed or relieved upon hearing that again. "Sheldon?"

"What?"

"_Sleep."_

He grinned weakly. "Yes, mom."

Betty shook her head. "Idiot," she muttered with a slight smile as she opened the door, then she blinked as something resembling a large rat rushed in as soon as the door opened. "Looks like someone wants to say hi," she said with a smile as Mimi immediately tried without success to climb on the bed, yelping softly and trying to lick his arm, causing Sheldon to grin and reach to scratch her head.

"Let her stay," he said, and Betty nodded, silently getting out of the room and closing the door behind her – the dog wasn't usually allowed there after an accident involving a broken lamp, but she guessed the situation called for an exception.

Sheldon stared at the closed door for a few moments, still scratching the chihuahua's head, then he grinned with clenched teeth as he reached under his pillow and took the painkillers he had taken from Betty's pocket as soon as she let go of his hand. "Sucker," he muttered as he began trying to open the lid with his thumb.


	5. Off to college

"Are you sure you feel alright? Maybe you should wait a little before--"

"If you ask me once again if I'm alright, I'm going to scream," Sheldon muttered, struggling to button up his shirt with just one hand. For a moment Betty considered helping him, but she decided against it – she would only manage to have him snarling that he didn't need any help and could do everything himself, just as he had all the times she had tried to help him out with some task.

"Don't bite, I was just asking," she said a little sharply.

He seemed about to snap, but Mimi chose that moment to bark from downstairs – she was surely scratching the door already to be let out, Betty mused – and he seemed to calm down. "I've been cooped up here for the whole summer," he said, grabbing the leash and turning to her, careful to not hit his mutilated arm anywhere. It had stopped hurting by now, at least for most of the time, but he got the feeing that hitting it wouldn't lead to any pleasant sensation.

"You went on the lawn."

"Yeah, some nice walk! You and mom just made me sit there like some old man."

"You were still unwell," she retorted.

"But now I'm _fine_, Betty. I only want to get out – I'll go insane if I stay here any longer!" he protested, and she could nearly detect something oddly similar to pleading in his voice. He probably realized it as well, for he abruptly shut it mouth and turned away a little awkwardly – the same kind of awkwardness he felt any time he thought back of how he had broken down in sobs in front of her when he felt like the pain was more than he could stand. The thought embarrassed him, and he was grudgingly grateful to her for never bringing that up again.

She sighed and nodded. Maybe she was really worrying for nothing after all, she thought. Much to her relief, throughout the summer Sheldon's recovery had been mercifully quick – at least, his physical recovery had been: he had lost a hand after all, and even though he seemed determinated to not let it take him down it was clear he would need time to get used to it. But now there was no reason why he shouldn't go outdoors. It could only make him good – besides, he was going to college in a couple of weeks, so he better start getting used to it. Theresa had actually suggested him to stay home and try getting into a college the following year if he didn't feel like starting right away, but Sheldon had refused….predictably enough, Betty had thought. The mere idea to give up on college to stay home like a crippled old man had to be unbearable almost as much as the idea of walking in his own grave.

"Alright, fine," she finally conceded "but I'm coming with you."

"I don't _need_ you to come."

"But _I_ need to make sure you're fine," was the reply "I'm coming with you."

Sheldon seemed about to argue, but he shook his head. "Whatever," he muttered, but Betty was pretty sure it was something similar to gratitude she had seen mixed with the annoyance in his gaze before he went downstairs without any further comment.

* * *

"What the heck are they looking at?" Sheldon growled to no one in particular, glaring at some kids who were looking at his stump with morbid curiosity.

"Don't bother, they're just kids," Betty tried to soothe him, though she couldn't help but shoot a glare to them herself – didn't they really have anything better to do anyway?

"Yeah, and for all I know they could be the ones that left that darn firework on Mrs. Creed's lawn," her brother said bitterly, sitting on a bench. He grudgingly glanced down at the stump resting on his thigh, his left hand clenching in a tight fist. "If only I _knew_ who it was…!" he nearly snarled.

Betty bit her lower lip. She was tempted to point out that it hadn't been anyone's fault if he had _picked_ it up, but it probably wasn't a wise thing to tell him. Not to mention that she could actually see why he was so enraged: thinking about it, the firework could have exploded anyway if he didn't see it and just stepped on it, or something like that…and anyone could have picked it up anyway, children included. Yes, whoever had left it there had their share of responsibilities, but the only one who had to deal with the consequences was her brother – it felt horribly unfair.

"Yes, I know," she said "but we'll probably never find out anyway. Don't think too much about it."

He snorted. "It's easy for you to say that," he said sourly, looking at Mimi as she began to run around, chasing crickets once again "they're probably still enjoying their vacation, while I--" he trailed off as Betty's hand suddenly covered his mouth.

"Alright, stop right there – you're supposed to be here to enjoy the nice weather, not to turn this into a self-pitying fest," she pointed out "thinking about it over and over again won't make you feel any better."

She expected him to snap at her again, but he just sighed, his shoulders slumping just a little as an elderly couple walked past them, turning just a little to sympathetically glance at him.

"Everyone seems unable to mind their own darn business," Sheldon muttered darkly, glaring at them as they walked away "and the worst of all are the ones who try to give me that 'oh, poor baby' look. Do they think it makes them look good and sensitive or what? I don't need their pity. I don't _want_ it!"

"Then stop whining. You'll be a lot more believable when you say you're fine," she suggested despite the fact she felt truly sorry for him in that moment – last thing he needed was thinking she pitied him: he would despise it.

Sheldon didn't reply, just letting his eyes wander through the park. His gaze brightened a little as it fell on Mimi – who was now having fun trying to catch the tail of a rather stoic German Shepherd – only to darken once more as he noticed some guys that were tackling each other on the ground. It took him just a moment to understand what they were doing, even from that distance. "I'll never be able to play football again," he muttered without even thinking "I would have liked to play again with the others here when we met here in summer. They'll have to count me out from now on," he added, his voice painfully emotionless, his gaze blank.

Betty glanced at him sadly, and she hesitated just for a moment before reaching to grab his only hand. "Hey, you can play with just one hand – how many hands does one need to hold a ball anyway? And you're even left-handed, so it won't be impossible getting used to it."

"It's not that easy," he snapped, but he didn't try to retreat his hand from her grasp.

She shrugged. "Who said it would be easy? But it shouldn't be impossible you – wasn't it you to claim you were the best quarterback ever?" she said a little mockingly.

The faint shadow of a smile crept on Sheldon's face. "Because I was," he paused and frowned, glancing down at the stump "I _am_," he corrected himself almost fiercely.

His sister let go of his hand and patted his back. "That's the spirit. Hey, I have an idea – why don't we go to get an ice cream? Because you know, you can _still_ eat an ice cream. Then we could have another walk through the park and enjoy the weather on out way back home, because – guess what? – you can _still_ have a walk and enjoy the weather. And we could order something good for dinner because you can _still_ get something good to eat, and we could watch a movie while we eat because you can _still_ enjoy a good movie. And then we could get to sleep and we'll fight over the upper bunk, because you can _still_ fight over that or over anything you want and I won't hold back either. And tomorrow morning we'll start to make a list of all the stuff we'll have to bring with us when we leave for college, because you're _still_ going to college and you're _still_ going to build a future for yourself, hand or not hand. How does that sound?" she asked, poking his shoulder.

Sheldon stared at her in disbelief for a few moments, hit mouth hanging open, then he blinked and swallowed somewhat uncomfortably before finally smiling – and this time it was something closer to an actual smile than to the sneers she had often seen on his face since the accident. "Yes, it doesn't sound too bad," he said, suddenly feeling ridiculously moved and oddly _hopeful_ after what she had said. He cleared his throat and got up, whistling to call Mimi back.

"Well, I guess everything would be better than sitting here whining 'it's not fair'," Betty pointed out, gaining herself and annoyed and oddly amused glance.

"I don't _whine_," her brother muttered, though he had to admit that she was probably right when she said self-pitying wasn't for him. What had gotten in him anyway? He was supposed to react, not to cry over spilled milk. She just smirked and followed him. There was a brief silence as they walked side by side for a while.

"Betty?"

"What?"

"Who's the best quarterback ever?"

"You are."

"And who's the older brother?" he tried.

Betty rolled her eyes. "Nice try, Sheldon."

"Drat," her brother muttered under his breath, but she could have sworn he was grinning, and she wanted to think of it as a sign that things were really starting to get back to normal.

* * *

And indeed, things were getting back to normal: by the time they were starting to pack up for college, Sheldon was pretty much back to be his usual annoying self. Betty wasn't sure if that should make her feel relieved or annoyed; maybe both.

"For the last time, I'm the older brother and I'm getting to sleep on the upper bunk!"

"Forget it – this is the last night we spend here!"

"So what? It's my turn!"

"Yeah, it would be if you didn't sleep there the last three nights!"

"I should be always sleeping there anyway! I'm the old--"

"Don't even _try_ to finish that sentence!"

"Truth hurts, uh?" Sheldon mocked her.

"Yeah, right. You're just a delusional--"

"Enough you two," came their mother's voice, and they both turned to see her standing in the doorway, her arms folded, a mixture of exasperation and amusement on her face "why don't you just share that stupid bunk and stop arguing for once?"

"Sharing?" Sheldon repeated as if it was some kind of exotic word he had never heard before.

"With _him_?" Betty muttered, grimacing.

"Precisely."

"_Never_!" they both shouted in perfect unison.

* * *

"Hey, move to the left! Those were my ribs, you know!"

"Are you kidding? If I move I'll fall down!"

"Yeah, that's my idea."

"Jerk."

"You're the one who insisted to sleep here – it was my turn to stay in the upper bunk!"

Betty snorted. "And you _really_ think I would leave it to you our last night here? _Right_…"

"It was my turn!" Sheldon insisted, trying to find a comfortable position – not an easy task with his sister's elbow in his side. He finally managed to rest on his back in a reasonably comfortable position, keeping the stump on his stomach. It didn't even hurt anymore, but he'd rather avoid getting Betty's weight on it. "And I'm the older brother," he added sulkily.

"Ask me if I care."

"Who's the jerk now?"

"Oh, shut up," Betty muttered, smirking a little as she finally rested on her side, then she frowned slightly. "This isn't my pillow."

"Well, no. It's my shoulder. You pillow fell about half an hour ago – I bet Mimi is using it right now."

"Oh." She was about to change position, but Sheldon stopped her.

"Wait, if you move again I'll probably get your knee in my stomach or something. I'm fine like this," he said, and it was true. He certainly couldn't say he warm weight on his shoulder didn't feel oddly pleasant.

Betty shrugged, leaning her head back on his shoulder. "Alright then. You make a pretty decent pillow."

"Great, now I know what I should do with myself if I can't make it through college," he said, and they both chuckled before falling silent for a few minutes.

"So…tomorrow is the big day, uh?" Betty said quietly. Most of their friends had left for college in the previous few days, and she still hadn't managed to contact any of them to ask how they were doing. She hoped Linda would remember to write her – damn it, she missed her and the others already!

"Yes, it is. Nervous?"

"Yes. No. Maybe," she grinned a little sheepishly "what about you?"

"A little," he admitted "but it won't last long."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Nope, only enough time to actually get to college. And then, I'll be terrified."

"You're making it sound too tragic. I'm sure you'll find plenty of people that could give you a…uh…" she paused, realizing a moment to late how bad her wording was. She bit her lower lip.

"A hand?" Sheldon finished, sounding a little too amused to be believable – yet another of his attempts to behave as if he wasn't really bothered anymore, she thought...but if it made him feel better about the situation, it was probably a good thing. "Yeah, I wish. Trying to do math with only five fingers to count on is going to be a mess," he joked.

They laughed again. "Hey, Sheldon?" Betty called out after a few minutes, yawning.

"Uh?" he sleepily glanced at her – spending a whole day choosing the stuff he should bring with him and then packing up had been unbelievably tiring…not to mention frustrating, considering that he only had one hand, but he had refused to let anyone do it in his place. He had to get used to it anyway. "What?"

"Good luck," she said, her eyes shut, her voice barely above a whisper.

Sheldon grinned a little. "What makes you think I'll need it?" he asked, but she was sleeping already and couldn't hear his reply. He shifted slightly and turned a little to his left, his forehead nearly resting on the top of her head. He closed her eyes, and he had barely enough time to faintly think how good she smelled before he fell asleep as well.

* * *

"…and don't forget to call home, alright?"

Sheldon rolled his eyes. "Mom, I'll be fine," he protested, trying to break free form his mother's embrace and quickly glancing around to make sure no one in the airport was looking. He scowled as he saw his sister snickering. "Hey, what are you laughing about? You're next," he pointed out sulkily.

"Bu you won't be there to watch," she pointed out, still grinning.

He stuck out his tongue at her before turning his attention to Mimi, who had been yapping to get his attention for the past few minutes. He knelt in front of the dog, who immediately rose on her hind legs to lick his face almost frantically, making Betty smile a little as she wondered if the small creature had guessed her owner would stay away for a while. "Hey, calm down, I'll be back," he said, scratching Mimi's ears "be a good girl while I'm away, alright?"

The chihuahua yapped enthusiastically, waving its tail, and Sheldon glanced up at his mother. "Did I already tell you…?"

Theresa sighed. "Yes, you told me everything – from her favourite food to her favourite chew toy. I won't mess up, I promise."

"But you have to tell Mrs. Creed too – she's the one who will look for her most of the time anyway. Tell her she has to take her nap at the usual hour," he added "ah, and if it rains too hard let her in, she doesn't like staying in the doghouse with the rain. And give her the old blanket I keep in the garage if it gets cold. And her pillow is--"

"Sheldon, both Mrs. Creed are I perfectly capable to look after a dog," her mother cut him off, sounding rather amused despite the exasperation "she will be alright, don't worry."

Betty raised an eyebrow. "And then you complain because mom hugs you," she said, gaining herself a glare form her brother before he turned back to their mother.

"Okay, fine. Just…can you put the receiver near her ear too when I call home?" he asked almost anxiously.

Betty had to do her best to not laugh at her brother's request, and Theresa seemed to be having a hard time to stay serious. "Of course," she said, smiling faintly "they're calling your flight – you better go now," she pointed out, her smile wavering just a little.

Sheldon sighed. "Alright, here I come," he muttered to no one in particular, giving Mimi one last scratch on the ears before standing up.

"Can I at least get a hug from my son now?" Theresa asked with an odd melancholy in her voice. He hesitated only for a moment before shrugging and complying – he was leaving for college after all: he supposed that was probably one of the few situations hugging his mother in public was acceptable. He cleared his throat as he finally stepped back and turned to glance at his sister, looking oddly uneasy. "So, uh…" he paused.

Betty seemed just as uneasy. It just felt so _odd_ watching him leaving knowing they would only meet again a few months later for Christmas – they had never been separated for so long before, and she couldn't exactly picture what it could be like not having him around for so much time. She wasn't going to admit it aloud in a million years, but she already knew she was going to miss him. She finally managed to smile. "Try to not mess up too badly over there, alright?" she said, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

Sheldon grinned back. "Same goes for you," he said "I'm not going to be there to get you out of trouble, baby sister."

"You, getting me out of trouble? Since _when_?" she protested, folding her arms.

"Well…" he frowned just for a moment before dismissively waving his hand "whatever, I don't care to remember all the times I had to help you out now. Just stay out of trouble."

Betty raised an eyebrow. "Define 'trouble'," she said.

"Alright, fine – stay away from _boys_. Is that better?"

"Oh, so your idea of 'keeping me out of trouble' was threatening whatever human male casually walked anywhere near me?" she said sarcastically.

He grinned. "More or less."

"And now that I won't have you around behaving like a jealous boyfriend, I should avoid any boy I see like plague because…?"

"Because I'm your older brother and I tell you to do so. It's--"

"…a big brother thing, I know," she finished "but you're not my big brother, so keep dreaming."

Sheldon turned to their mother. "Mom, tell her something!"

Theresa shrugged, glancing at her daughter with a faint smirk. "Something," she muttered almost solemnly, though taking a mental note of having some serious talk about contraceptives with her while they waited for her flight. Unaware of her intentions, Betty just snickered at her brother's expression.

"Hey, whose side are you on?" he protested, looking at their mother.

"I'm on no one's side and you know it."

He scoffed, turning back to Betty. "Well, whatever – stay away from boys, period."

"Yeah, _right_," Betty muttered with a chuckle, then she sighed. "Well…see you for Christmas, I guess."

He nodded. "Yes, see you," he said. He was about to add something else, but his flight was announced again before he could.

"You better go, or you'll miss the flight," Theresa said, reaching to ruffle his hair. He didn't even protest. "Take care of yourself, will you?"

"Sure," her son said with a shrug, bending to quickly pet Mimi's head once more before turning to leave – he was afraid he could do or say something embarrassingly sappy if he didn't leave immediately "I'll call as soon as I get a chance. Bye."

"Be careful!" Theresa called after him after just a few steps. Sheldon just waved affirmatively without even turning, and the people crowding the airport soon hid him to their sight.

Betty felt an odd pang of something she couldn't exactly define, but she was immediately distracted by her mother's hand resting on her shoulder. "Let's go, you have a plane to catch too," she said. Betty nodded, turning to glance in the direction her brother had gone only for one moment before following her.

* * *

Finding his way through the campus hadn't been as hard as Sheldon had anticipated – it had been _worse_. But at least he was getting in the right place now…or so he hoped. Well, at least he was pretty sure he was in the right dorm; now he just had to find the room. He put down his suitcase to glance at paper with his room designation – it was one of the most frustrating things of having one hand: he always had to put down whatever he was holding to do anything else. Thankfully, his room was just a few steps away, in that same hallway: if anything, there wouldn't be any more walking for him.

"It was about time I got lucky," he muttered to no one in particular, stepping in front of the door. He had to put down the suitcase again to be able to get the key from his pocket and unlock the door, and he gave a sigh of relief as the door opened. "Finally," he said, stepping in the room…and abruptly stopping as he was greeted by the sight of a mess of boxes all over the ground and even on the two beds. Apparently, his roommate had pretty much moved his whole _house_ with him, Sheldon mused, and the suitcase he was holding – that certainly wasn't _that_ small – suddenly seemed much smaller than it actually was.

"Uh…is anyone here?" he called, making his way through a few boxes that blocked the entrance. Great, it looked like his roommate had decided to just drop his stuff there and run off somewhere in the--

"Er…hello," a voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts as a black haired boy's head popped out from behind a pile of boxes "my apologies, I just moved in and I still have to put some order – are those boxes bothering you?" he asked, approaching to get them out of his way.

"No, it's fine – I just have to be careful where I…hey, look out!"

"Ouch!"

Sheldon had to hold back a chuckle as the boy – who Sheldon assumed was his roommate – tripped over a box and fell heavily on the ground. Laughing probably wouldn't be a good idea, especially if he wanted to get along with him. "You okay?" he asked instead, stepping forward.

The other boy nodded, carefully brushing his clothes "I'm fine, thank you," he said, looking just slightly embarrassed "I simply didn't see the box on the floor."

"I noticed," Sheldon, said, somewhat amused "looks like you brought anything you could move from your house with you."

He chuckled. "I'm afraid I'm not one for frugal living," he admitted "but I hadn't thought I could end up taking over most of the space. My apologies."

"No problem, I don't have much stuff with me anyway," Sheldon replied with a shrug as he put his suitcase on his bed – at the moment, it was the only flat surface that wasn't covered with bags and boxes already. Why should anyone need so much stuff anyway?

"I see – you're more than welcome to borrow whatever you may need in any case. I've never shared a room in my life, and I'm starting to think I brought too many things with me."

"Well, you're a lucky one – I've been sharing a bedroom with my sister my whole life," Sheldon made a face, trying to not think how odd it was not having her in the same room anymore "and thanks for the offer, I'll keep it in mind. I'm Sheldon Director."

"Oh, right – I haven't even introduced myself!" his roommate said as if he had just done something terribly wrong, holding out his right hand "I'm…uh…"

Despite the fact he usually hated it when people glanced at his missing hand – it never failed to bring him undesired sympathy, which he loathed – Sheldon couldn't help but grin a little at his embarrassed expression: it was clear he hadn't noticed his mutilated arm until that moment. "You might want to shake this one," he said casually, holding out his left hand. He would be darned if he let anyone actually see how much losing his hand had bothered him!

The boy's gaze rested on his stump just for an instant before turned his eyes back to his face and shook his hand with a slight nod, any trace of the earlier awkwardness gone, and Sheldon was relieved to see there was nothing close to sympathy in the look he gave him. "I'm Jack Hench – pleased to meet you. I suppose you're a freshman too?"

"Yes – and I already got lost in the campus on my way here. Twice," Sheldon said with a shrug "I bet I'm going to establish a record by the end of the semester."

Jack chuckled. "I guess this makes two of us. I had to ask for directions to get here – I think I probably should get a map or something close if I want to make it to the classes. What are you here to study?"

"Engineering," was Sheldon's reply as he opened the suitcase, and Jack raised an eyebrow as he noticed how easily he did so with just one hand "well, at least I'm going to try – maths could kill me within the first half of the semester," he made a face "what about you?"

"I'm here to study Economy."

Sheldon gave a low whistle. "Economy? And here I thought I got to have an awful lot of maths to deal with. How can you manage it?"

Jack shrugged. "I never had much trouble with it, really – mathematics is an exact science, which makes it predictable. Dealing with the market's changing rules, on the other hand, is going to be the most difficult part."

"You know, I'm suddenly very glad I'll never have to deal with that stuff," Sheldon said, leaning on the bed with a groan – it had been a long day, and the seats of that stupid plane were the most uncomfortable ones ever "what makes you want to do that anyway?"

"I find it fascinating, really," Jack replied, sitting on his own bed "even though it's not an easy task and it requires quite some imagination. It's all about interpreting people's needs and giving them what they need at the right moment and at reasonable price. You can have anything you want if you only pay it the right price."

"You make it sound almost like charity thing put this way."

Jack had to laugh at the thought. "Of course not – the primary objective is making a profit so that business can get larger…to make more profit, obviously, and to become even bigger."

"To make even bigger profits, I guess."

"Obviously – to invest them again to lately gain even more money to invest. It pains me to be that prosaic, but in the end it's all about money."

"Alright, now you managed to make it seem interesting even to me," Sheldon muttered with a snicker "speaking of prosaic stuff, do you happen to have any idea of where the lunch room is?"

"I'm afraid not."

"The showers?"

"Not a clue. Did I mention I'm a freshman as well?"

Sheldon shrugged. "Oh, well, it was worth a try. I guess I'll try to find out before I have to walk around the campus in my bathrobe like an idiot."

"Oh, but that _is_ going to happen – I believe there isn't one single college student that didn't go through this experience at least once. You can't escape it," Jack said almost solemnly, causing Sheldon to chuckle while faintly wondering how was Betty doing right now. He felt a slight pang of nostalgia at the thought, but he refused to acknowledge it. Besides, why should he be worried? Although he would never said that aloud, he knew she could take care of herself. She would be just fine.

* * *

"Are you sure we have to go this way?" Betty asked, glancing around – was it just her, or they had already been in that hallway? And just _how many_ hallways were in that dorm?

The blonde girl, who apparently happened to be her roommate, shook her head. "Nope, not at all. I hadn't expected the campus to be this huge."

"That makes two of us."

"You're a freshman too, uh?"

"Yes. I'm Betty Director, by the way," Betty said, holding out her hand. Busy as they were trying to find their room, they had neglected secondary stuff such as introducing themselves to each other. Well, actually her roommate had begun chattering the very same moment they had met and had managed to give her a lot of information about herself than she didn't really care to know – such as her habit of singing in her sleep, which Betty hoped wouldn't be too troublesome – but she had omitted her name.

"Oh, right, I forgot that! I'm Dakota Sanders – guess where my parents are from?"

"Er…North Dakota?"

"Nope, but it was close."

"South Dakota, then."

"No – they're from Montana," she giggled as if it was the best joke she had ever cracked in her life. Betty blinked for a few moments before choosing to just ignore it and turn her attention back to their most pressing problem.

"…alright. Anyway, we could try looking in that direction to see if the room is there--" she trailed off she as heard someone's voice approaching – maybe they could ask for directions, she thought.

"Oh, quit worrying, James! Who do you think might have noticed?" a girl's voice said with a chuckle, and both Betty and Dakota turned to see two students that were probably a few years older than themselves walking around the corner – a young woman with red hair and blue eyes and a brown-haired guy that most definitely _wasn't_ supposed to be in that dorm, Betty mused with a slight smile. She cleared her throat, causing the couple to wince as they spotted them.

"…ops," the guy names James said somewhat sheepishly, glancing sideways at his girlfriend "looks like someone noticed. Haven't you learned to perform a lobotomy yet, Ann? Because I still can't use spacecraft to get rid of witnesses," he joked. Well, Betty _assumed_ he was joking.

The redhead laughed. "Oh, please," she told him before turning to Betty and Dakota "you're freshmen, aren't you?"

"Yes. And we--"

"…got lost," Ann finished, waving her hand "it's normal – all freshmen get lost at some time. What is your room?"

Betty glanced down at the sheet in Dakota's hands. "It's the C-87."

"Then you have to go that way," Ann said, gesturing to a hallway on their left "the C rooms are right past the corner."

Betty nodded, a little embarrassed by how close they had been walking to their room without even noticing. "Oh, I see. Thanks, we probably stepped right in front of the hallway a dozen times without noticing."

"You'll get used to it, don't worry. Everyone does," the redhead said with a shrug "and, uh…you didn't see anything, did you?" she added with a slight wink. Beside her, her boyfriend waved a little embarrassedly.

Dakota began giggling, and Betty just shrugged. "Seen what? I didn't see anything," she said vaguely, purposely avoiding to look at the boy, a small smirk on her lips "thanks a lot for the directions."

"No big," was all Ann said before nonchalantly walking past them, dragging her boyfriend with her.

"They look cute together, don't they?" Dakota commented as she and Betty went down the hallway to find their room.

"Yes, sure," Betty said absentmindedly as they turned the corner "I just hope they don't get caught, it could give them some trouble."

"Oh, who cares! Just think how romantic it is, being ready to break rules to be together – they're a bit like Bonnie and Clyde."

Betty raised an eyebrow as she finally found their room and unlocked the door. "Letting your boyfriend in the girl's dorm in college is a bit different from robbing banks, isn't it?" she pointed out, somewhat amused. She seemed to be an overall nice person, she thought. Getting along probably wouldn't be a problem just as long as she would be able to stop listening to her chattering from time to time…

"Still, I think it's romantic. Danger adds a little spice, you know…!"

…starting from now. Betty just nodded politely as Dakota kept chatting, and she bit her lower lip as her gaze fell on one of the two beds in the room. It looked like there were no bunk beds to fight for there, she mused briefly…not that it would be quite as fun if it wasn't her brother she had to fight with.

"Oh, can I have the bed near the window?" Dakota asked "I can't sleep without at least some light, you know…"

Had it been Sheldon to claim that bed for himself Betty would have immediately started an argument to not leave it to him, but there was simply no point in doing that with…well, with anyone else but her brother. "Sure, it's yours," she just said, putting her suitcase on the ground and suddenly feeling ridiculously homesick.


	6. Just business

_A/N: I usually try to give both characters the same amount of attention, but I ended up focusing most of the chapter on Sheldon this time – the main reason is that I wanted to have him getting into not-so-legal stuff even before he and his sister actually became enemies: it's easier to pull off this way, really. As for Betty, how she'll get into GJ is going to be addressed later on. _

_

* * *

  
_

"Oh my God, the world is over!"

Betty shook her head in mild amusement. "What happened now?" she asked, barely turning to glance at her roommate. While she was an overall nice person and even fun to have around to some degree, Dakota had the tendency to freak out awfully easily and for incredibly trivial stuff. It made her sound way more stupid than she actually was – not that she helped when she claimed she had gotten into college by 'sheer dumb luck'.

"I don't have coins!" Dakota announced as if she was telling her she had just found out she was missing a kidney "I can't call home!"

"I do have coins," Betty reassured her before she could get hysterical "check my wallet, it's on the nightstand. You can take the coins, call home and go to sleep tonight with the safe certainty the world survived another day."

"Oh, thank you!" her roommate exclaimed, apparently oblivious of the sarcasm in her voice.

"You're welcome," was all Betty said, turning back to her book with a small smile. She resumed reading again, frowning in concentration – the tests that awaited her seemed very complicated, and she was determinated to pass it. However, she raised her gaze from the book again as she heard Dakota giggling. She was standing in front of her, holding up her wallet.

"Hey, didn't you tell me you don't have a boyfriend?" she asked, still grinning.

"I don't," Betty replied with a shrug, not quite getting what did that come from.

"Oh, really? So who's this hunk?" she asked with a wink, showing her wallet under her nose, and Betty realized she was referring to the small photo in it.

She laughed, causing Dakota to blink. "Hunk?" she repeated, still laughing – she could just picture how smug Sheldon would get if he only knew someone had referred to him that way! It took her a while to stop laughing. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I really have no boyfriend. That's my brother," she said.

"Oh," her roommate smiled a little sheepishly before glancing at the photo again – now that she looked closer, there _was_ something familiar in him "older or younger?"

"We're twins," Betty replied, this time chuckling as she wondered what her brother would think upon finding out someone had _suggested_ he could be younger than she was.

She frowned. "But he's a…"

"_Fraternal_ twins."

"Oh," she glanced down at the picture again. "Is he single?" she asked innocently.

This time, they both laughed. "No, really, does he have a girlfriend already?" Dakota insisted jokingly.

"I couldn't hear much from him since when we moved to college, so I have no idea," Betty said with a shrug, trying to ignore the pang of nostalgia she felt every time she thought about it – they had never been separated for that long, and while she could still call home trying to contact her brother in his college wasn't as easy. She could only ask their mother how he was doing, nothing more. "I hope not, though," she added without thinking.

"Uh?" Dakota blinked.

"I mean, I _think_ not," Betty quickly corrected herself "didn't you have to call home anyway?"

"Oh, right!" her roommate slapped her forehead at her own forgetfulness and quickly left the room "thanks a lot for the coins, I owe you one!"

Betty shook her head in mild amusement for a few moments before she frowned a little, faintly wondering what was her brother doing in that same moment. For some reason, she didn't really like the idea some girl in his college might be attracted by him like Dakota apparently was. She didn't know why, but it just annoyed her, which was rather odd: it had never really bothered her when they were in high school and the head of the cheer squad was drooling after him.

Well, she hadn't been annoyed _that_ much, especially since she knew exactly Sheldon didn't really care too much for the attentions he got from her: he wasn't stupid, and he was perfectly aware that her…affection was mostly due to the fact he was the football team's captain than to anything she actually saw in him. He did take advantage of the whole thing for a while, of course, but Betty knew he wasn't really into it, and she knew it because he had mentioned it himself. She knew it because she was _there_ every day: she always knew what her brother was doing, and she only needed to _look_ at him to know what he was thinking. But now she had no idea of what he could be doing, and she didn't like it a bit. Maybe--

Betty suddenly snapped from her thoughts, shaking her head almost angrily. What was she thinking? She was supposed to be studying, not to be musing over her brother _undoubtedly_ non-existent love life. It wasn't like she cared anyway, she firmly told herself before concentrating on her book again, a frown still on her face.

* * *

"…yes, mom, I'm fine. Yes, I am eating vegetables…I eat whatever the give us, anyway. No, the food isn't half bad, really. Yes, my roommate is alright – I didn't end up in the same room with a serial killer or a drug dealer, if that's what you're wondering," Sheldon muttered, rolling his eyes and glancing sideways to Jack, who chuckled. "What are you laughing about?" Sheldon asked, covering the receiver "you're talking to _your_ mother next, and I'll be here to _listen_."

That statement was enough to make Jack's grin disappear. He wrinkled his nose at the thought – his mother could get _way_ worse than that. "One for you," he said as Sheldon put the receiver back against his hear.

"Hey, are you telling them the history of your life or what?" a boy that was standing near the end of the line for the phone cab protested.

"Do you want to find out what a broken nose feels like?" Sheldon asked affably, barely turning to glance at him, and the boy immediately shut up. What a wise guy.

"Sheldon, did you say something?"

"Nothing," he said quickly, talking into the receiver again "how's Mimi doing?"

"She's fine. Do you want to hear from her directly?"

"Yes, thanks," Sheldon smiled as he heard yapping from the other side of the line "hello there," his smile widened as the yapping grew more enthusiastic – Mimi had recognized his voice, he thought with an odd mixture of pride and homesickness.

"As you can tell yourself, she's perfectly fine," Theresa laughed as she took back the receiver.

"Yeah, sounds like it. And…uh…did you hear form Betty?" Sheldon asked, trying to ignore the odd, almost painful pang he felt when he thought of his sister. He hadn't talked to her in a week, and it felt like a year already. What was she doing? How was she doing? How much stuff had he missed out already?

"She called yesterday, and she's fine. She asked how you were doing as well," Theresa said, sounding rather amused "how comes you're not this concerned about each other when you're home?" she joked.

"I'm not _concerned_, I just…"

"I know, I know – you just miss each other," his mother softly "it's normal. You were never separated for this long."

Sheldon was about to deny he could be _missing_ his sister, but he eventually just shrugged. "Yeah, tell me about it," he said quietly. He had actually written a letter to her – nothing too sappy: he just told her he was fine, boasted a little over how well he was doing, reminded her to stay away from boys and asked her just how many times had she gotten lost in her campus. Stuff like that. But of course, thanks to lousy postal service he had no idea of when she'd read it. Would she even bother to reply? Not that he cared – they were used to _speak_ to each other, not to write letters, and he got the distinct feeling that mocking each other through letters wouldn't even be _fun_, still…

"Just think of it this way – you will have a lot of stuff to share when you get back home. Maybe you'll be too busy to fight."

"Are you kidding? We have to catch up with all the arguments we didn't have!"

"Oh, poor me," Theresa laughed a little before turning serious. "I miss you too, you know. Both of you, _so_ much."

Sheldon bit his lower lip. "Yes, me too," he said somewhat uncomfortably "look, mom, there is a lot of people waiting to use the phone…"

"Oh, right. Just go then – it must be almost lunch time over there anyway. Remember to call next week."

He nodded. "Sure. Bye," he said before he hung the phone with a slight frown and stepped aside to let Jack use the phone.

"Are you alright?" Jack asked, grabbing the receiver and putting some coins in the phone.

Sheldon shook his head for a moment before grinning at him. "Oh, sure," he said, folding his arms and leaning against the cab "I'm just anticipating your embarrassment. Please, don't mind me – do call home."

"You're one sadistic guy," Jack said with a slight grimace, but he was smirking in amusement as he dialled the number.

* * *

"Hey, you got mail!"

"Uh?" Betty blinked as Dakota sat in front of her in the lunch room and put two envelopes on the table.

"I checked the mail for our room when I went to call home. It was the least I could do after you gave me the coins," she said with a shrug "don't worry, I didn't push my nose in your stuff. But I was tempted, know that," she added with a laugh.

Betty chuckled. "I doubt there is anything compromising, you know. Thanks," she said, taking a look at the first envelope – it was from Linda. It was about time she wrote, she thought in mild amusement as she put down the envelope to read it after she had finished her soup. She was curious to know how she was going, but the soup would get cold if she read it now, and cold soup was one of the most inedible things--

She was abruptly snapped from her thoughts as she glanced at the second envelope – she would recognize that handwriting anywhere. "Sheldon!"

"What?" Dakota asked, glancing up from her plate of peas.

"Nothing – I'm just surprised my brother wrote," Betty said, eagerly grabbing the envelope and opening it to read the letter.

"You soup will get cold if you read it now."

"It will take a minute," was all Betty said before she began reading, her soup completely forgotten.

_Hello, baby sister.  
Well, seems like I was the first one to write – I guess that proves I'm always one step ahead. I was born first, I do stuff first: that's some easy math.I bet you got lost at least a thousand times in your campus, your sense of direction was always lousy: I wouldn't be surprised if I got this letter back because you went missing while you were trying to find your classes. Just like that time we went camping at six, remember? You got lost and we found you crying under a three just a few steps from the camp. Just thought I would bring it up here because I never mocked you enough for that._

_As for me, I'm doing great. I only got lost something like a hundred times, which is still a thousand less times than I expected, and I'm doing just fine with classes. And here I thought it would be difficult! It's nothing after having you in my same class for years, I tell you. My roommate is alright, even though he's kind of weird sometimes. I mean, he's studying economy to become some kind of businessman or whatnot: you must have some loose screws to ever wish to do something like that with yourself. We get along anyway, probably because there are no bunk beds to fight over. It' just not fun without bunk beds. By the way, when we get back home for Christmas the upper bunk is mine. I'm the older brother, I get to use it first. More simple math._

_Aside for surely getting lost every minute, how are you doing? How are your classes? I hope your roommate is not one of those crazy ones who keep getting boys in the dorm – in case you forgot, let me remind you: I want you to stay away from boys. If you don't I would have to break some necks, and that would result me with going to jail, which not exactly what I'm planning to stay for my next vacation. And before you protest, it's a big brother thing. Because I AM your big brother. Deal with it._

_Sheldon._

"Oh, _you_," Betty muttered, smiling with an off mixture of amusement, exasperation and melancholy as she finished reading. He would never stop bringing that older brother crap up, would he? And he just _had_ to taunt her by letter – well, she would show him, she thought as she got up, suddenly feeling restless.

"Aren't you going to finish that?" Dakota asked as she grabbed the other envelope and turned to leave, leaving the now cold soup on the table.

"I'm not hungry," was all Betty said – she got the feeling that she wouldn't managed to sit still until she had gotten to write down all the comebacks she felt like giving to her brother. Alright, it wasn't going to be like really talking to him, but it was still _something_. "I have to write some stuff. See you later," she added, leaving the lunchroom.

Dakota shrugged and just resumed eating, not knowing that was only the first of many times throughout the semester she would see her roommate drop anything she was doing to immediately reply to any letter she got from her brother.

* * *

"Did I ever tell you I'm sick of tests?"

Jack raised his gaze from his books with an amused smile. "Only a hundred times this morning, but I get the feeling you can do better."

"Fine. I'm sick of tests," Sheldon repeated, his voice slightly muffled by the book his face was resting onto – he was literally sprawled on the desk now.

"My, who would have guessed," Jack said, raising an eyebrow.

"And math sucks," Sheldon added, grumbling.

"I was just wondering when you'd say that – this is just the tenth time today. You're losing vehemence."

Sheldon shrugged, straightening himself. "I'm trying to think of a more creative way to say that. No success so far."

"How about keeping quiet and studying?" Jack suggested, then he shrugged as Sheldon just stared at him as if he had suggested to have a stroll on the moon. "It was just an idea."

"A dumb one."

"You will have to sooner or later."

"Probably later."

Jack chuckled. "Well, I suppose it's better late than never."

"Thinking about it, 'never' sounds even better," Sheldon commented, and they both laughed.

"You will have to at some point – I might help you with math," Jack said before pausing and as if a sudden thought had occurred to him "unless…" he muttered, rubbing his chin.

Sheldon sighed. He had already seen that scene countless times in those past couple of months, and he knew exactly what it meant: he had something in mind, but he was playing mysterious while waiting for him to actually ask what it was. Well, he thought with a grin as he just leant back on his chair, this time he wouldn't fall for it. There was a brief silence.

"Sheldon?"

"Yes?"

"You were supposed to _ask_ what I have in mind," Jack pointed out, apparently just a little disappointed.

Sheldon's grin widened. "Not a chance."

"Oh, c'mon! That's how it works – just go with it!"

"Alright, fine," Sheldon rolled his eyes "what do you have in mind?"

"Well, I suppose you're probably too honest to resort to cheating, still…"

Sheldon blinked. "Cheating?" he asked, suddenly interested.

His roommate couldn't hold back a smile, knowing he had got his full attention. "Then again, maybe not," he said, clearly amused "unless, of course…"

"_Jack_."

He chuckled, raising his hands. "Alright, fine, I'll speak clearly," he said "I could get you the solution of next week's test."

"What?" Sheldon stared at him for a few moments, astonished "are you serious?"

"Of course."

"But how…?" he began, but Jack raised his hand to cut him off.

"I have my sources, and this is all you need to know. Not that I don't trust you," he said, and he was honest "but I guess you could say I like keeping my little secrets for myself."

Sheldon smirked. "I noticed. So, can you really get me the solution of the test?"

"Yes. I have been, uh…distributing some solutions to the students in these past few weeks already."

"For the right price, I guess."

Jack laughed. "You got to know me pretty well. Yes, obviously at the right price, but you don't have to worry about that. There will be no price for you."

Sheldon frowned in confusion. "Are you telling me you will give me the solution for free?"

"More or less."

"What do you mean?"

Jack leant forward. "I might need a favour in exchange," he said "but you won't have to do anything you don't feel like doing – in that case, you can simply consider it a gift from a friend."

Sheldon hesitated, glancing down at the book. He didn't have qualms cheating: he knew it would be very difficult for him to pass that particular test without cheating, and if he didn't pass all the tests he probably wouldn't have the scholarship confirmed for the following year. No, cheating wasn't his problem, but what worried him was the possibility – no, the _certainty_ – that whatever favour Jack might need from him would be against the rules.

Of course, he could still just accept Jack's offer without having to do anything, still…well, he felt an odd sensation in his stomach at the thought, some kind of odd thrill that he couldn't remember feeling before. He looked up at Jack. "What kind of favour?"

* * *

Sheldon glanced around to make sure no one in the computer room was looking in his direction – no, it looked like nobody was paying the slightest attention to him. Why should they, after all? As a student, he had all the rights to use the computers. All the better, he though as he reached to take the disk in his pocket and put it in the computer. Much to his relief, Jack had been right: loading the virus in the computer only took a few moments – although he was certain he wasn't behaving suspiciously enough to get undesired attention, he wanted to be done as soon as possible.

He took the disk, put it back in his pocket and switched off the computer. He stood still for a few moments to stare at the black screen, nearly unable to believe how easy it had been, then he shrugged and walked out from the computer room. For the briefest moment he felt a twinge of doubt over what he had done, but he ignored it: he had a favour to return, and he had done so. He didn't want to owe anything to anyone.

Besides, as Jack never failed to point out, it was just business.

* * *

"So it was easy, eh?" Jack muttered, swallowing a mouthful of bread "all the better – I knew I could count on you," he added with a satisfied expression "but I bet you have some questions about the whole thing."

"A few, yes," Sheldon said, glancing at him sideways "why didn't you do it yourself? It _was_ easy."

Jack shrugged. "I tend to avoid having to do anything directly if I can, no matter how minor the risk is," he said "I prefer staying behind the scenes – it's safer."

"Safer?" Sheldon repeated, raising an eyebrow "doesn't the fact those who do your stuff for you might decide to speak? It would get you in loads of trouble."

Jack chuckled. "I'm not that naïve," he said "the trick is always trying to not really break the rules, at least formally – and should breaking some rule really be needed, there are two rules: don't leave evidence, and always make sure that whoever helps you out would gain more by keeping the secret than by speaking."

Sheldon nodded. "I see – so you asked me to do this…job for you because you knew I wouldn't get you in trouble if that meant I could keep getting the solutions to the tests."

"Well…" Jack seemed a little uneasy for the first time since when he knew him "truth to be told, it isn't the only reason. After all, I could have asked the same to any of the students I gave the solutions of the tests to," he pointed out, his hands fumbling about with the fork.

Sheldon blinked, confused. "Then why did you ask me?"

"Because you're the only one I trusted enough for this job in here," he simply said "that's all."

There was a moment of silence, then Sheldon grinned. "My, I'm flattered," he said, and to some extent he really was "and is there a chance for you to actually tell me the reason why you needed me to put a virus in the college's network?" he asked before biting in his chicken thigh. He had to admit, food was pretty good there.

Jack hesitated, carefully glancing around, but everyone else in the lunch room was too busy eating to pay attention to them. "If you promise to keep it a secret, yes," he said, keeping his voice low.

"I won't breathe a word."

"Alright," Jack leant against the back of his seat "do you want the whole overly complicated thing or a quick summary will be enough?"

Sheldon shrugged. "I'll go with the summary. I get my fair share of overly complicated stuff during classes already."

"Fine. Basically, there is someone who's the head of a large industries corporation that's investing heavily in technology advancements…and that doesn't always use legal means."

"The end justifies the means, it's just business," Sheldon quoted, grinning a little. How many times ha he heard Jack saying that for whatever reason?

"Exactly. The virus you uploaded in that computer will allow this someone to get into the network of the college, and indirectly to the networks of some of the most important universities, where the results of various researches are – researches that could be very useful to the business. I guess you could call it corporate espionage."

Sheldon needed a few seconds for Jack's words to sink in his brain. "Wait. Are you telling me that the head of this corporation asked _you_ to do this on their behalf?"

Jack seemed amused by his disbelief. "I know it does sound incredible, but there is a reason why he asked me to. You see, the guy we're talking about happens to be my father," he shrugged "keep it in the family and so on, you know. Besides, he thinks it will make me good to learn how things work if I'm going to take his place someday, and he's probably right. I have some plans for those industries," he added with a smirk. Oh, yes, indeed – he had great plans.

"I understand," Sheldon said, looking quite impressed "although it's a lot to swallow."

"I know. But I have to ask you--"

Sheldon raised his hand, cutting him off. "I won't say a word, don't worry," he promised.

Jack smiled warmly. "Thank you," he said before he resumed eating "you know, should you ever need some other…_job_ to get some money--"

"Hey, you!"

Sheldon barely registered that yell at first. He had never been addressed that way before, and neither had anyone he knew – nobody had ever even _tried_ – so at first he thought it was directed to someone sitting at some other table. He only realized something was wrong as he saw Jack's posture suddenly stiffening, and he was surprised to see the somewhat longing look he gave to the exit before turning to the guy who had spoken and that was quickly approaching to their table.

"Good evening, Thad," Jack finally said coldly, quickly recollecting himself "to what do I owe the displeasure?"

"Still a cocky idiot, aren't you?" the guy grunted "how many times do I have to tell you to not even look in my direction? I don't like the ones like you."

Jack frowned. "I can't recall any time I looked in your direction, really – I prefer to avoid ruining an otherwise perfectly fine day."

Thad snorted at the remark, and he suddenly looked everything like a bull – a large, very stupid bull. "Now see here, you fag--"

"I take it you have a problem with my friend. Unfortunately, this means you have a problem with _me_."

Both Jack and the other guy turned to see Sheldon had gotten up from his seat and was glaring at the newcomer – who, on the other hand, had barely even noticed his presence until that moment. He immediately took a step back as he realized Sheldon was about as big as he was and definitely less inclined than Jack was to settle things in a civil manner, at least judging by the fact he was glaring at him as if he was trying to decide which limb he would break first.

"No, I don't," he grunted, trying to pretend he wasn't worried by Sheldon at all "not with you. The problem we have here is none of your business."

"Oh, really?" Sheldon snarled, narrowing his eyes "I think it _is_. And you know what else I think? I think that you're going to turn around and walk back to your table without giving him any further trouble."

The other guy seemed to hesitate, but as his gaze fell on Sheldon's missing hand he seemed to regain confidence. "What if I don't?" he challenged "what if I stay and have a little chat with your…_friend_ here?" he sneered. Jack clenched his fists in anger. He was about to open his mouth and say something, but Sheldon spoke first.

"In that case, I'll assume you don't really wish to keep the full use of all your limbs and I'll behave accordingly," Sheldon replied with a low, threatening voice that caused Thad's grin to waver a little "and when I'll be done to you, they will need your _fingerprints_ to recognize you. If I will leave you any," he said, and he grinned inwardly as that idiot want a little pale, warily gazing at his stump – he had never thought it would help to _scare_ people. "I'm ready any time, idiot."

Thad stared stupidly at him for a few more moments, then he growled, turning back to Jack. "This is your last warning, _Jackie_," he said mockingly, and Jack gritted his teeth at the nickname "if I see you looking in my direction aga--"

"Are you deaf of what? I told you to _leave_," Sheldon barked, and Thad took a step back.

"Fine, I'm leaving," he said, looking both at him and Jack in disgust before sneering "and if you don't know already, Mr. knight in the shining armour, you may want to ask your _friend_ what his problem is. You probably better not turn your back to him," he spat before finally turning to leave.

Sheldon snorted as he watched him walking away. "Idiot," he muttered, but his scowl turned into a worried expression as he noticed Jack was staring blankly ahead "Jack, are you alright? You know, I could still get over there and--"

"No," Jack said immediately, still avoiding to look at him "I don't care what that idiot says – I dealt with him since high school, I'll be able to deal with him here as well. I guess my only regret is that you had to find out this way."

"To find out…?"

Jack gave an odd laugh. "Oh, please, you don't have to pretend you didn't get it – you guessed exactly what Thad's problem with me is. As he said himself, he doesn't like the ones like me," he said as he got up from his seat and walked to the exit "I probably should have been honest with you since the beginning. My apologies."

"Wha…? Hey, wait!" Sheldon protested, walking quickly to catch up with him "hang on a minute, alright?"

Jack stopped to glance at him, mildly surprised. "What?"

Sheldon shrugged. "What makes you think I feel like sitting alone at that table like an idiot? I'm getting back in the room as well."

His roommate seemed surprised. "I wasn't even sure you would want to get back in our room," he said, causing Sheldon to roll his eyes.

"Oh, _please_. I thought you had a better opinion of me," he said, pretending to be hurt, then he shrugged "look, if you feel like talking about it, it's fine. If you don't, it's fine anyway. Really."

Jack stared at him for a few more moments, then he finally smiled – a warm, almost grateful smile. "Let's get in the dorm," he said "and I'll explain you everything."

* * *

"And you never told anyone?" Sheldon asked, leaning a little more comfortably against the wall as he watched his friend standing next to the window. Well, considering how that idiot had treated him in the lunch room it wasn't a real surprise that he would try to keep anyone from knowing his sexual inclination.

Jack shrugged, still glancing out of the window. "I tried to tell my mother. She said it was just a phase and sent me to some psychiatrist. You know, to…how did she put it? To cure it while we still could."

"What?" Sheldon gaped. He couldn't even _picture_ his mother suggesting him to see a psychiatrist for something like that.

"It's not as bad as it sounds, really – she honestly wanted to help," Jack replied. He paused for a few moments, his gaze a little blank. "She was worried. If my father finds out, he'll disown me in record time."

Sheldon found it hard to wrap his mind around the idea. He was certain his mother would never try to _cure_ him as if he had some kind of illness, and as for his father…well, he had left them, but he was also fairly sure he would have never _disowned_ him or Betty, no matter what. "I'm sorry," was all he managed to say.

Jack smiled a little. "Don't be, I'm not. He doesn't have to find out – it's my business, and I can keep it from anyone I want. I'm good at keeping secrets," he said with a chuckle "it makes the whole thing more…challenging, I guess."

Sheldon laughed and leant on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "Yeah, I bet. But how did that Thad know…?"

"He doesn't _know_ anything, he only has suspicions: but those are more than enough for him," Jack shrugged "thankfully, everyone that speaks with him for more than a minute can see he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and certainly not someone that can be trusted – no one really believes what he says, and I guess that's my biggest luck. He always got people teasing _him_ rather than the ones he targeted, even in high school," he chuckled at the memory – it was clear he had had quite some fun at his expenses that way "while highly entertaining, he's no real threat."

Sheldon frowned. "You didn't seem amused at all to see him though."

"It's just because I knew exactly where the…conversation would get. I didn't want you to find out like this," Jack sighed "it was the only thing that really worried me. Well, now you know everything," he said quietly "if you want to be moved to another room, I won't blame you. I just ask you to not tell anyone why."

"Oh, please," Sheldon rolled his eyes "you're being melodramatic."

"Am I?"

"Yes. Do you see me packing up or something?"

"No."

"Do you see me walking around the room with my back against the wall?"

"Well, you're not walking. You're not even standing."

"Alright, fine – can you _picture_ me walking around the room with my back against the wall from now on?"

Jack laughed. "No."

"Good, because that's something you won't see me doing," Sheldon said with a shrug, and he was telling the truth. Years later, when some of his advisors would express doubts on his decision of giving Gemini the founds to create his organization, Jack would have thought back of that afternoon and the years that had followed, and that would be enough to convince him to take the risk against his own policy. Of course, he would give vague explanations to his business partners for that – although, for a brief moment, he had been tempted to tell them the truth.

_I'm helping him out because nothing changed after I told him the truth. Nothing: he never treated me any differently than before. He didn't stop sitting at my same table, he didn't stop undressing in the room, he didn't stop sleeping in his underwear, he didn't stop kicking the sheets off himself when the weather was hot. We shared a room for years, and all this time it never was a problem to him; he never breathed a word about it to anyone else – not even once. That's why I'm helping him out. I'm helping him out because he's my friend, and because I owe him much more than money._

But of course, that was a kind of explanation he couldn't give – officially, it would be business. Just business.


	7. Wrong

Betty sighed as she finally managed to squeeze all her belongings back in her suitcase – it had been harder than before now that she had the books taking space, but she had managed. There were some other thing she would have to stuff into a handbag, but that didn't take much space either. Her gaze turned to the small box she had been keeping her mail into – maybe she better throw it away, she thought. It would only take space.

She reached for the box, but she hesitated and opened it to take the most consistent of the bunches of letters inside – her brother's letters. She had already read them a millionth times already, over and over, because it felt almost like he was really _there_ to tease her as usual, and now she didn't really like the idea of throwing them away. It was ridiculous and she was about to see him in only a few hours, still…

"Er…Betty? A little help?"

Betty turning to see Dakota smiling a little sheepishly, her suitcase so full that it seemed about to burst. "What is it?"

"I can't close it," she said "would you mind…sitting on it while I try again?"

Betty chuckled. "Sure," she said, quickly stuffing the letters into her handbag – it wasn't like she had _really_ wanted to throw them away – and sitting on Dakota's suitcase. "So," she said a little amusedly "what are you going to do? A little trip to China?" she asked. From what Dakota had told her, it had turned out that her parents _were_ from Montana, but that they had been living in pretty much every country existing before partially settling in Colorado – it was no wonder Dakota was so good with languages, really.

"We're just going to visit a aunt in France," she said with a shrug, as if she was talking about spending a quiet evening at home "what about you?"

"I'll just get back home – you wouldn't believe how homesick I've gotten."

Dakota – who didn't seem to be familiar with homesickness at all – just nodded as she finally managed to shut the suitcase.

"Done," she announced "well, I hope you'll have a great time these two weeks. And remember to ask your brother if he's single," she added with a wink.

Betty laughed, the thought of getting to actually speak to Sheldon again soon filling her with anticipation, but she doubted she would really ask that question directly. Nothing in his letters seemed to indicate he had gotten close to any girl in those months, but she still wanted to avoid asking. She almost feared his answer.

* * *

"I was really wondering how would you get all your stuff out of here," Sheldon muttered, looking both amused and rather impressed as he watched those people efficiently bringing away all the luggages Jack had with him. "Who the heck are these guys anyway?"

"People who work for my father," Jack said with a shrug as they walked to the gate if the campus "he surely sent his driver to bring me to the airport. Are you sure you don't want a lift?"

Sheldon shrugged. "That would be great, but my plane departs from another airport – you'd end up losing your flight. Don't worry, I'll take the bus and…and…whoa, don't tell that's your ride!" Sheldon blinked as he saw a huge Roll Royce parked outside the campus.

Jack laughed at his flabbergasted expression. "I'm afraid it is. Next time make sure to take your flight in my same airport, and you'll get a lift."

"You can _bet_ I'll make sure," Sheldon said with a chuckle, glancing at the car again before shrugging "well…see you in two weeks, then."

"Of course – have a great time," Jack said, patting his shoulder.

"With my sister around? Not a chance," was the reply, but Sheldon could feel a sudden twinge of eagerness to get back home at the thought

Jack was about to add something else, but he immediately turned to the car as someone called out for him. "Mr. Hench, we should go before you miss your flight."

"Yes, in a minute," Jack said quickly before turning back to Sheldon "and hey, remember you have to bring me some of those infamous cookies you told me abo--"

"Didn't I tell you a thousand times that it's not polite making people wait, Jackson?"

Jack trailed off, a look of complete surprise on his face as they both turned to face the man who had spoken – a tall, black haired man wearing a clearly expensive business attire and looking at Jack with some kind of amused disapproval. "Dad!" he exclaimed, unable to hide his surprise – he hadn't expected him to actually pick him up himself.

"You look surprised," his father said, really pleased by his reaction as he gestured to the car with a brief nod. "Now, we don't want to lose the flight, do we?"

"Of course not," Jack replied quickly, and despite the fact he rarely sounded very enthusiast about his father when he spoke about him he seemed really pleased to see him there. Sheldon felt a sharp pang of jealousy at the thought – he would never see his father greeting him back from college. "See you," Jack said, reaching to shake his hand "try to make it out of these weeks alive."

Sheldon grinned. "I'll try, _Jackson_," he replied a little mockingly before watching him walking up to his father. The man barely turned to glance at Sheldon for a moment – who he frowned at the coldness and arrogance in his gaze – before he finally turned back to his son and his arrogant expression melted into a smile as they walked into the car.

_If my father finds out, he'll disown me in record time._

Sheldon shook his head to chase away the though of what Jack had told him weeks before and leant against the wall with a sigh, waiting for the bus. It was going to be a long trip.

* * *

"Finally!" Betty exclaimed as she finally grabbed her suitcase from the conveyor belt and finally stepped out of the airport. She immediately glanced around, anxious to get a glimpse of her mother and brother – they should be there already, unless--

"Hey, Betty!" Sheldon's voice suddenly reached her ears, and she couldn't help but smile broadly as she saw him standing next to their mother, waving at her.

"Hi, Sheldon! Hi, mo-- ow!"

Sheldon grinned a little as he watched his sister struggling to break free from her mother's grasp. "Your turn," he said with a shrug. It was clear he had gotten through the same treatment when he had arrived a couple of hours before.

Betty rolled her eyes. "Mom? Mom, I can't _breathe_."

"Oh, please – just for a hug," Theresa said with a chuckle, releasing her, apparently unaware of how close she had been to asphyxiate her daughter "I'm happy to have you back."

"And I'm happy to be back," Betty admitted, ignoring the fact her brother was currently making a face behind their mother's back to express his disgust for that saccharine-filled moment.

"I think I got a cavity," he muttered dramatically.

"Idiot," Betty said, slapping his arm lightly, but she was still smiling "you didn't get any less annoying in college, uh?"

"Of course not – I kept myself in shape just to annoy the heck out of you," he said "and when I'm done with you, you'll have had enough until next summer."

"Wow, _nice_," Betty said sarcastically as they left the airport "any way to make you change your mind and let me spend a quiet Christmas?"

"Start calling me big brother and doing as I say?" Sheldon tried.

"…thinking about it, I'd rather keep the annoyance," she sighed "so, how's college?" she asked, genuinely curious – damn, it wasn't like the few letters they had managed to exchange were like actually _talking_…!

"It's doing great – I passed all the tests until now," he boasted a little, omitting the detail he had received some…help in a couple of occasions "and my roommate is alright. What about you? You _did_ stay away from boys, didn't you?" he asked, suddenly looking worried.

"Aw, not again!" his sister protested, trying to hide her amusement…not to mention a certain dose of relief at the fact he hadn't mentioned having any kind of romantic interest in college, but right now she didn't fully realize where that relief came from, and she just assumed it was because she was glad to see him again. Fine, her brother could be a pain, but she had missed him a lot in those past months.

"No, really – you did, right?"

"What if I didn't?"

"Then I might have to throttle someone."

"Oh, drop it!"

"Not a chance! So, did you…?"

Theresa smiled a little as she watched them talking. While she had heard from each of them regularly, she knew they couldn't stay in touch quite as much, and they had never been separated for so long before: they surely had a lot of stuff to say to each other, she thought, walking a little behind them.

And indeed, they did have a lot to say to each other – they were still talking and teasing each other just as they had always done when they finally got back home.

* * *

"Looks like Sheldon will be busy for a while," Theresa said with a laugh. Betty followed her gaze, and she had to smile at the sight – apparently, Mimi was very glad to see he was back…and her brother was just as glad to see her, at least judging by the way he kept petting her and asking her how had she been and stuff like that. As if that dog could reply, she thought with a laugh.

"Hey, lover boy, can't you leave your girlfriend for a moment and help us to set up the table?" Betty mocked him, causing him to snort.

"How funny," he grumbled, but he did got up after scratching Mimi's ears again. He stood still for a moment, looking down at the dog. "Hey, mom, are you sure you gave her the food I told you to? She seems…fatter," he said, and for a moment Betty could have sworn the dog had whined in protest. In fact, she realized as she observed the small creature, she looked _way_ bigger than she was when they left. Their mother probably hadn't noticed just how much she seemed to have floated because she saw her every day, but it was impossible for Sheldon and her to not notice.

Theresa nodded. "Yes, I noticed. She gained some weight lately, but I only gave her the food you told me to. Maybe she got food from someone else – Mrs. Creed said that when she keeps her she sometimes sneaks in the garden of that guy who lives next to her. Maybe he feeds her from time to…Sheldon, are you alright?" she asked with a confused frown as her son suddenly froze.

"The guy that lives next to Mrs. Creed? The one with that male chihuahua the postman is terrified of?" he asked, already fearing the answer.

"Yes, that one," Theresa said with a nod.

"Oh," Betty blinked, glancing down at Mimi and then at her dumbstruck brother "…crap."

"Don't worry, it can't be what you think," her mother said, waving a hand dismissively "but I would think the same if I didn't know Sheldon had her neutered."

A long, heavy silence followed her words. Both her and Betty turned to glance at Sheldon, how looked a little pale. He hunched his shoulders slightly, shifting his weight from one leg to the other, still saying nothing – apparently, the only one in the room that didn't feel any tension was Mimi, busy as she was while merrily chasing her own tail. When Theresa spoke again, her deadly quiet voice was enough to make Betty's blood chill. "Because of course you _did_ have her neutered, " she said slowly "didn't you, Sheldon?"

He cleared his throat. "Well, I…uh…"

"_Sheldon_."

He cringed, something sounding awfully similar to a squeak leaving his lips, and Betty felt suddenly very, very sorry for him…but still amused enough to enjoy the scene to a certain extent. After all, watching her brother being told off by their mother was always fun, no matter what.

* * *

"You could have at least said _something_," Sheldon grumbled he watched his sister shovelling snow out of the way – it had snowed the whole night, and now there was so much snow that it blocked the path to the garage, preventing anyone to get out with the car. It had always been his duty to do so, but now that he only had one hand it was impossible. He grimaced at the thought and glanced at his sister again a little resentfully.

Betty shrugged. "No, watching was funnier," she said with a grin, still too concentrated on her work to notice how much his expression had darkened "besides, it wasn't as terrible as I thought. You survived," she pointed out.

Truth to be told, he had to admit it hadn't been _too_ bad: their mother had calmed down quickly enough when she had realized that he was still recovering from the loss of his hand when Mimi was scheduled to be neutered, and both Mrs. Creed and the owner of what was most likely the pups' father had both said they would love to keep a pup or two each: they both had a lot of space and lived alone after all. He was rather grateful that things had settled that easily – he wasn't sure his mother would hold back from neutering _him_ otherwise.

"Well, you could have still tried to help me out," he muttered grumpily, folding his arms.

Betty seemed to realize something was wrong, for she stopped shovelling and glanced at him in understanding – it wasn't that hard to figure out the true reason of his bad mood was the fact he was now unable to do that job himself again. She sighed inwardly as she finally finished and put the shovel away. "Done."

"I could have done it in half the time," Sheldon said a little bitterly, glaring at her as if challenging her to say otherwise.

For a moment Betty was about to just nod and say that yes, he would have, but she changed her mind: if she replied like that, he could immediately assume she pitied him…and he wouldn't be able to stand it. Then again, starting an argument on who would be quicker didn't feel like the right thing to do either. She eventually decided to not do either – she just stared at something behind him. "Hey, what's that?"

"Uh?" Sheldon turned to glance back "what's wha…? Hey!" he yelped as something cold hit him behind his neck – snow. He turned to glare at his sister. "What are you--" Sheldon trailed off with another yelp as she threw another snowball straight at his face. He sputtered and used his only hand to get the snow off his face before grinning. "Fine, this means war!" he exclaimed, picking up some snow. He couldn't make proper snowballs now, but he could still grab some snow and compact it in his fist before throwing it at her. It was more like a snow-made bullet, but it served its purpose.

Betty managed to avoid the first one, but the second one hit her forehead, making her yell and laugh at the same time. Sheldon grinned and bent to grab some more snow, but Betty managed to hit him again before she turned to run around the house and to the backyard, quickly getting out of range.

"Hey, get back here!" he called out before running after her, whatever bitterness he had felt while watching her shovelling the snow aside completely forgotten.

Theresa raised an eyebrow as she watched the snowball fight from the window – they kept trying to hit each other, shouting and laughing just like they did as children every winter: they would always get back inside completely soaked, out of breath, trembling with cold and still arguing over who had won the fight and who had the best aim. And then they would blame each other if they got sick, of course.

She smiled a little and shook her head. "Maybe they didn't grow up _that_ much, did they?" she muttered, glancing at Mimi. The small dog, who was curled up on her basket near the heater, just opened one eye and gave a soft yapping sound before getting back to sleep.

* * *

"For the last time, I _won_! I hit you at least twice the times you hit me…!"

"Yeah, right! You barely hit me at all – you have a lousy aim!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do to--"

"Knock it off! I won, end of the story!"

"Says _who_?"

"_I_ do. I'm four minutes older!"

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It means that I'm the older brother, and thus I'm _right_!"

Betty rolled her eyes. "Just keep telling yourself that," she muttered, giving his shoulder a shove "you're just delu-- hey!" she exclaimed, staggering back as her brother pushed her back "I didn't push you that hard!"

Sheldon grinned. "Only because you can't do better," he taunted.

She narrowed her eyes at the implied challenge. "Oh, _yeah_?"

His grin widened as he plated his feet more firmly on the snow, waiting for her to try tackling him. "_Yeah_!"

Much to his surprise, however, Betty just shrugged. "Grow up," she muttered, turning to leave.

"Uh?" Sheldon blinked, a little disappointed by the anticlimax "hey, you were supposed to-- ow!" he gasped as Betty took advantage of the fact he had his guard down to suddenly turn back and tackle him to the ground, causing him to gasp as his back hit the ground. He immediately tried to her off him, and they rolled in the show for a while, trying to pin each other to the ground and laughing like children. They were almost completely out of breath though still snickering as they finally stopped moving and just stayed motionless for a while, panting a for the effort.

"I'm not a _mattress_, you know," Sheldon finally managed to say, trying to get her off him "and it's cold – let me up!"

Betty chuckled and she finally pulled back with a smirk. "So much for the mighty older brother, uh?" she taunted him "I like you better as a mattress, really."

"I let you win, that's all!" Sheldon grumbled, but he didn't sound really angry, nor he tried to get her off him – he wasn't going to admit it aloud if his life depended on it, but he was the first time in _months_ he had so much fun. Not that life was bad in college, but it just wasn't the same without Betty. Darn, he hadn't even realized how much he had missed that kind of stuff – he wasn't sure he liked the idea of having to get back in just a couple of weeks. No, he thought, he didn't like it _at all_.

"Oh, _sure_, you just let me win – how could I not realize that?" Betty said sarcastically, grinning down at him. "You lost – admit it!"

"Forget it!"

She laughed, her cheeks and nose reddened for the cold and her hair dishevelled, and for a moment Sheldon found himself unable to tear his gaze from her. "Then you can stay in the snow and catch a cold!"

"We'll _both_ catch a cold if you don't let me up!" he protested.

Betty shrugged. "I'm not cold."

"Oh, sure. Then it's just an impression that your nose is turning into a clown's."

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"I'm per…perfectly fi-- _atchoo_!"

Sheldon made a face as she sneezed. "Bless you. How about facing another direction next time?"

Betty grinned sheepishly. "Okay, maybe I am a little cold," she admitted, getting up a little unwillingly to let him on his feet "how about getting in? I feel like having some hot cocoa."

He nodded, brushing some snow off himself and faintly why having her on top of him hadn't felt _that_ annoying. "I second that," he said before pausing with a frown "not that I'm _second_ to you in anything," he pointed out, just in case she got the wrong impression.

"Too late – you already said that!" Betty stuck out his tongue at him before turning to walk inside "now move, I want that cocoa before we get old."

"I'd still be _older_," Sheldon muttered somewhat resentfully, but he followed her without any further argument, a thoughtful expression on his face as he looked at her walking ahead. For a moment before he shook his head and just walked inside he almost wished they were still in the snow, struggling and laughing like idiots, so close that they could even feel each other's thumping heart even through the heavy clothes.

* * *

Sheldon sneezed and muttered some curse under his breath, leaning back on the couch and sulkily staring at the TV as she just kept reading. "This is all your fault," he said.

Betty rolled her eyes. "Oh, sure. Because I _forced_ you into a snowball fight."

"You started it. And then you kept me pinned in the snow, _and_ sneezed on my face," he pointed, still grumpily glaring at the TV.

"But it was _you_ to push me first. _You_ started it."

"Not true! You did!"

"Oh, c'mon, it was just a _shove_. You pushed me way harder!"

"But you actually _tackled_ me – it was _you_ who got us rolling in the snow!"

Betty grinned. "It wouldn't have happened if you stayed still and let me pin you immediately," she pointed out, leaning against his side to read her book more comfortably.

"Do you think I'm your pillow or what now?" he protested, though making no move to get her off him.

"Shut up, you're comfy," she replied without even turning to look at him "and you're warm."

"Hey, if you're cold you could put on a sweatshirt or something – what do you expect wearing a bathrobe in winter?"

"Alright, fine, I'm going in a minute. Now shut up, this part is interesting," she said, still reading.

Sheldon grunted and turned to glare at her and say something, but he shut his mouth without speaking as he realized the bathrobe she was wearing – she had just taken a hot shower and felt too lazy to get changed right away – wasn't as fastened as securely as it should have been. Without even thinking, Sheldon let his glance linger on her for a few minutes.

Having to deal with her once again could be annoying, but it certainly felt oddly soothing. He had never truly realized how different she was from anyone he knew until they had to spend months apart. She was strong and clever – she _had_ to be if she wanted to keep up with him, he thought smugly before turning his attention back on her – and he had missed her presence. Being used to have her close since their birth had brought him to take her presence for granted, and finding out she wasn't bound to be by his side in any situation had been oddly…unsettling. Sure, Jack was a great guy to have around, but it wasn't the same thing. Sheldon had missed the taunts, the arguments, the constant banters with his sister – he had missed _her_, he thought without even realizing what he was thinking, absentmindedly looking at her face.

He would never admit it to her because siblings are meant to only tease each other and compliments aren't part of the game, but she truly was beautiful – he had always known she was, but he had never really realized how much. Her body seemed perfect to him, fit and toned and strong, and she wore a focused expression on her face as she read that somehow made her even more attractive.

His glance lingered on her face just for a moment before going lower, and Sheldon felt suddenly terribly uncomfortable as his gaze fell on her cleavage. There wasn't _too_ much skin exposed, but it was still enough to make him swallow. He tried to turn away, but much to his own astonishment for the first few moments he was unable to look away, and it took him a considerable effort to finally do so.

He stared ahead and took a few deep breaths, mentally kicking himself for being such an idiot to overreact over something that stupid. What the hell, it wasn't like it was something he had never seen – it wasn't much more than what he could see whenever she wore a bath suit, he angrily reminded himself before he dared to glance sideways at Betty again. She was still reading, and she was clearly oblivious of how her bathrobe had loosened; concentrated on her book as she was – he was almost terrified to realize once again how beautiful she looked in that moment – she hadn't even noticed his reaction.

_And that reaction is exactly the only thing that isn't right! She's your sister, for heaven's sake! Get a grip!_

Sheldon bit his lower lip, suddenly feeling as if the temperature in the room had risen – and it surely wasn't because of the heater. His eyes lingered on her for a few more minutes while she kept reading, still unaware of what was going on, and for a single, dreadful instant he felt a terribly strong urge to reach out to touch her, to feel the warmth and the smoothness of her skin under his fingers, to get that bathrobe out of the way to see _more_ of her. His only hand moved slightly, his fingers twitching a little, his eyes still fixed on her.

_What the hell are you thinking? Stop this! Have you gone insane?_

He swallowed, trying to look away, but his eyes refused to obey. His mouth suddenly felt terribly dry, as if he had been hiking through a desert, and the heat in the room seemed to be getting unbearable. What finally snapped him out of it was a terribly familiar stirring in his groin, and the realization suddenly flooded his mind with panic as he realized just how horribly _wrong_ that was.

He cringed and finally tore his gaze away from her, his face burning, his eyes wandering to find something else he could focus his attention onto – the book in Betty's hands.

"Hey!" Betty protested as he abruptly snatched the book from her hands "give it back!"

He grinned, suddenly feeling better – he felt in control now that the situation was familiar, now that he could think everything was _normal_. "You'd have to get it back, baby sister," he taunted, holding it above his head "or maybe, if you politely ask your _older brother_ to return it, I'll…ow!" Sheldon let out a gasp as his back hit the ground, and it took him moment to realize what had happened – she had tackled him to the ground to get her book back. His blood chilled at the thought, and he began scrambling to get her off him. From the way she was laughing he could tell she still thought that everything was normal and that it was just a joke, so if he could get her off him before she noticed--

Too late: her laughter abruptly stopped, and he heard her gasping and freezing above him as she felt him hard against her thigh. He froze as well, panicking inwardly, and glanced up at her with widened eyes.

Betty tried to speak, astonished, but words died in her throat. She dumbly stared at his nearly panicked and mortified expression for a few moments, not knowing what she could do or think, then she finally got a grip on herself and quickly pulled back and stood up, her legs shaking. Her fingers fumbled to fasten the bathrobe around herself before she folded her arms, still avoiding his gaze, her head spinning as she tried to process what had happened.

The mere idea that her own _brother_ could have had an erection over her was…was…it was simply sickening, that was it. Betty shuddered at the thought, her throat tightening – what in the world had happened? How in the world _could_ it happen? She faintly heard Sheldon getting back on his feet, but she stubbornly avoided to look at him, her blank gaze fixed on the wall.

She knew she was going to have to look at him at some point, but she didn't _dare_ to. For a moment she considered just rushing out, avoid him for a while and then behave as if nothing had happened – that would probably be the most sensible thing to do…but she still didn't dare moving, or speaking, or doing _anything_ that could attract his attention in any way. She just stood there, stunned, trying to put some order in her confused thoughts, faintly hoping he would just _leave_.

Sheldon, on the other hand, seemed to be even more lost than she was. He clumsily scrambled on his feet, his heart pounding, his breathing irregular, his head spinning. He leant against the wall, his eyes fixed on the floor, unable to look at his sister – he felt like he would _never_ be able to look at her again. What the hell was wrong with him? How could he let it happen? She was his _sister_ – he shouldn't have such reactions over her! It wasn't normal – it was just insane, that was it!

He shuddered, trying to get his breathing back under control before he dared to glance at Betty. She was standing against the opposite wall, her arms folded around herself almost protectively, her eyes wandering through the room restlessly – but she didn't turn her gaze to him once. He couldn't tell if she was trying to think of something she could say or if she was trying to find something else to fix her attention onto, but one thing was certain: she wasn't any more willing to think about what had just happened than he was…but he wasn't sure they could really pretend nothing had happened. Sheldon swallowed and awkwardly sat on the couch, instinctively grabbing one of the stuffed pillows to put it on his lap, trying to think of something, _anything_ he could say. It all had been so sudden he could barely realize what had happened, let alone how.

There was a long, awkward silence, neither of them daring to move or speak, the tension quickly getting unbearable. Betty winced as Sheldon finally cleared his throat, still struggling to find the right words. "I…well…" he began, but his voice immediately failed him. Betty finally gathered enough courage to actually look at him – he was staring at the ground, his shoulders hunched as if he was trying to make himself as small as he could. She couldn't quite remember him ever being ashamed over anything, but this time he definitely was. There was another awkward silence.

"…it wasn't over you," her brother finally managed to mutter, still avoiding to look at her. It was clearly a lie, but she found herself desperately wanted to believe it – they both wanted to believe it, and they wanted it so much that they almost did. Almost.

"Of course not," Betty heard herself saying, and she was immensely relieved by how firm her voice sounded – for some reason the sound of her own voice seemed to give her courage.

Her brother seemed to be just as relieved, for he finally raised his gaze to meet hers. "Yeah," he said, feeling some confidence finally getting back "you kinda were in the wrong place at the wrong moment," he added, managing to give her something vaguely resembling an apologetic grin.

"I noticed. How about, you know…_warning_ me next time?"

"Oh, _sure_ – next time I'll give everyone a public service announcement," he said sarcastically "I'm sure mom would love to be informed too. And the neighbours. And the dog. And possibly Ronald Reagan, I guess, just in case he needs something interesting to say to the world when he can't come up with a good speech..."

Betty snorted, mildly amused against her own will. "Idiot," she muttered. Usually a remark like that would have been underlined by a light slap or at least a shove, but this time she didn't feel like getting any closer to him. "At least you could have avoided taking my stuff," she pointed out.

"It's not like I asked you to jump on me, you know!"

"You got my book – we always end up fighting when you take my stuff! You know we do!"

"Hey, you shouldn't have tried to get it back! I had every right to take it!"

"Oh, really?"

"Sure! I'm the older-- ouch!" he yelped and rubbed his forehead, where the book had just hit him "that hurt!"

"Just be glad you still have that pillow in your lap, or I wouldn't have aimed for your head."

Sheldon grunted, though his stomach clenched a little as he was reminded of what had happened minutes before – it really was odd how easily they could get carried with their arguments…then again, considering the situation, it probably had been a good thing for once. "Nice," he muttered, finally daring to remove the pillow now that the…problem was no more "and then you would have been the one to explain mom why she wouldn't be getting any grandchild from me."

"Somehow, I don't think she's counting on it anyway."

He frowned. "Why not?"

She grinned. "Do you really think there is any woman in the world who would want to have your kids? Human stupidity _must_ have limits," she mocked him, and she was unable to hold back a laugh as she ducked under the pillow he threw at her.

"Very funny, baby sister," he said sulkily, but he was too relieved by the fact they had apparently gotten over the awkwardness to actually care about what she had said.

_Apparently, that's it. She might be able to make herself believe that it wasn't her you got aroused over, but you know you were lying. Something is very wrong here – you can't simply ignore it. You need help._

Sheldon shook his head, trying to chase away the thought. It had been…just a moment of weakness, that was all: nothing would have changed had it been any other good looking woman sitting in Betty's place. It meant absolutely nothing…and yes, he could ignore it – he _would _to ignore it, he thought, and everything would be alright once again, as if nothing had ever happened.

But he was wrong.

* * *

"Betty?"

"…"

"Hey, Betty, wake up!"

"Uh? Wha…?" Betty mumbled, groggily sitting up and glancing down to see Sheldon standing next to the bunk bed – she slept on the upper bunk because Sheldon had spent the last few night in the garage with Mimi: she was supposed to give birth one of those days, and there was simply no way to drag Sheldon away from his dog.

"Didn't you have a light sleep once? C'mon!" he insisted. She glared at him in slight annoyance, pulling the sheets on her. She was wearing her nightgown, of course, but even though nearly a week had passed after their…accident, she still felt awkward any time he looked at her while she wasn't exactly fully clothed.

"What happened? Is something wrong with the dog?" she asked a little worriedly "you should call the vet if anything--"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he said impatiently, and Betty realized he was barely able to contain his excitement "now come in the garage to take a look!" he exclaimed before finally rushing out of their room.

It took her only a few moments to get up and quickly out on some actual clothes on – it was December after all, and there was no way in heck she would get out with just her nightgown – and after a couple of minutes she was walking into the garage. She stopped at the entrance, surprised by how warm it was in there – it looked like all the heaters her brother has placed in there were working.

"Close the door, it's cold outside," Sheldon told her, without even turning to look at her – he was crouched near a corner on her left, staring down at something. Betty was about to reply, but whatever she was about to say was quickly forgotten as a soft whining sound reached her ears. She approached, a wide smile widening on her face without she even realized it.

"So, what do you think?" Sheldon asked, his voice a little above a whisper – he was grinning like a child, she noticed with mild amusement before glancing down at Mimi. She was resting on a blanket, her head resting on her forepaws, her eyes closed. She had to be exhausted – and the reasons of her exhaustion were currently snuggling against her side, enjoying their first meal.

"They're beautiful," Betty said quietly, crouching next to her brother, her gaze fixed on the three tiny pups – they were definitely among the tiniest things she had seen in her life.

"Sure they are – they're hers," Sheldon said somewhat proudly, reaching to pet Mimi's head. She lazily opened one eye and licked his hand before resting her head back down. "I was worried she could give birth after I left, but she's perfectly on schedule. Looks like I'll get to stay with them for a few more days before I leave," he added, sounding everything like a child who just found out he's getting one more ride on the roller coaster.

Betty chuckled, reaching to lightly stroke Mimi's muzzle as well. "Congratulations, it's…uh…." she glanced at Sheldon "a little help?"

"Two males and a female," he said with a shrug "I think I'll keep the female. The males will go to Mrs. Creed and their dad's owner – at least they will always stay close, right?"

His sister blinked. "Wait a minute. When did mom agree to let you keep a pup?"

"Er…she didn't," Sheldon grinned a little sheepishly "but I'll convince her, don't worry. I mean, look at them! She won't be able to resist."

"Well, you have a point," Betty admitted. She knew for a fact their mother had grown very fond on Mimi, and she hadn't even protested much when Sheldon had wanted to keep her. There was a good possibility she just wouldn't be able to resist to a pup either…especially since she probably felt a tad lonely with both of them gone for most of the year, she thought somewhat sadly. "Why do you want to keep the female anyway?"

Sheldon just grinned.

"You're _not_ planning to have more litters, are you?"

"Not now," Sheldon protested, "I'll wait a few years, that's it. When I'll be done with college and she'll be old enough"

Betty sighed. "Alright, alright, whatever," she said, slightly amused "just pray nothing unexpected happens again, or mom _will_ have your head. Have you already thought of names?"

Her brother scratched his cheek. "Well…no, not yet."

"Odd, you gave Mimi her name twenty seconds after you found her," she taunted him a little, poking his shoulder.

Sheldon snorted. "Oh, forgive me if I was a little busy worrying for my dog, since it was the first time she ever--" he began, turning to glare at her, but he abruptly trailed off as he realized how close they were – busy as they were looking at Mimi and her pups, they hadn't even realized they were crouching so close that now their faces were just inches apart. They stared at each other for a few moments before he caught himself and immediately turned away, looking at the wall. Betty stayed still for a few instant before she promptly got up and took a few steps back, biting her lower lip: both of them remembered all too well what had happened the previous week, and for some reason this felt equally uncomfortable. There was a long, awkward silence.

"You better go back to sleep," Sheldon finally said quietly, but his voice sounded oddly strained "it's late."

Betty just nodded and left without speaking, her head spinning. While to some level she did realize there was something very wrong with her brother – with _them_ – she did her best to ignore that thought, just as she ignored the twinge of desire she had felt for a brief moment as they lips nearly touched and the fact that it was undoubtedly some kind of _longing_ that he had seen in Sheldon's eyes just for an instant before he turned away.

There was nothing _wrong_ with either of them: it wasn't like anything had happened there, they had just realized they were too close and the memory of their earlier…accident had made them feel awkward, that was all. And since what had happened had _certainly_ been an accident…well, then there was nothing to worry about, she tried to convince herself almost desperately, trying to ignore the fact her heart had skipped a beat in both occasions.

They just had to get over the awkwardness and forget it all, that was it. It wouldn't take much, Betty told herself…but deep down, she was afraid she would never be able to feel comfortable in her brother's presence again.


	8. Denial

_A/N: I speeded up things just a little at this point. I wanted to keep the development steady all the time, but I realized there was no way I could actually show in a more detailed way how_ _uncomfortable Betty and Sheldon had grown around each other without making it dreadfully boring and repetitive; I just couldn't get it written quite the way I wanted, and since the reason of their uneasiness was explained in the previous chapter I figured out it wouldn't hurt trying to not get too repetitive._

_Also, until now I posted one chapter each week because I have the whole fic already written out. Anyway, I decided to rewrite a chapter that I don't really like the way it is, so the next one will be posted in two weeks instead. The next three ones are ready to be posted, really, but I want to make sure I won't get to that chapter that needs to be rewritten without having done so, because I know it would lead to a longer delay that just two weeks._

_...I know, I know, I probably should have kept it simple and said the next chapter will be slightly delayed, period. I always get so darn wordy all the time _:P_  
_

_

* * *

  
_

"Betty? Hey, snap out of it!"

"Uh?" Betty blinked as someone suddenly waved a hand in front of her face. "What?"

"You did it again," Dakota pointed out, still chewing her salad – it wasn't exactly a pretty sight, especially since she didn't bother swallowing before speaking "you zoned out. You're doing that a lot lately – are you sure you're fine?"

"Yes," she replied a little too quickly, stabbing the food in her dish with her fork "I'm perfectly fine."

Dakota raised an eyebrow. "I bet those poor potatoes you're murdering beg to differ," she said, and Betty had to laugh a little.

"I'm just a little…we, it's nothing," she said with a shrug "some trouble back home. I'll get over it."

"Oh," Dakota bit her lower lip "what kind of trouble?"

_Definitely not something I want to talk about over dinner._

"Trouble with my brother," Betty said vaguely, and she could feel her stomach clenching at the thought. She put away the fork, not really feeling like eating anymore. They had both gotten back to college only after a few days from the awkward moment in the garage, and Betty could only be grateful that they had had to stay in the same place for so little time: they could barely look at each other without feeling uneasy, and Betty had found herself unable to stand his gaze for long…not that he looked at her that often, for they were both trying to avoid each other as much as they could. Even sleeping in the same room had been awfully awkward, and it had never been much of an issue before. What the hell, they had been sharing the same room since when they were _born_...!

Leaving had been a relief: the tension between her and Sheldon had gotten unbearable, and now that she was away from her brother just forgetting that stupid accident had even happened would be easier…or so she had thought. It had turned out she still felt horribly uneasy any time she let herself think about her brother – and she found herself thinking about him awfully often, her mind wandering back to moments she was supposed to just _forget_ about.

_There is something very wrong here._

"Oh, I'm sorry – did you have a fight? I fight with my siblings all the time too," Dakota was saying "they can be so annoying! Can't do with them, can't do without them…"

Betty shook her head. "No, it wasn't really a fight," she said, and it was true. Neither of them had admitted aloud something was wrong…but they both _knew_ it. "It was just…well…" she bit her lower lip "I don't know what it was. But I'd rather not talk about it."

Dakota blinked before raising her hands. "Alright, fine, I'll change subject," she said "I just hope it was nothing serious."

"Yes," Betty muttered, absentmindedly pushing away her dish, feeling like her stomach had been tied in a knot "so do I."

* * *

"You're going to get in trouble sooner or later," Jack pointed out quietly, faintly wondering what had gotten in his roommate that last couple of weeks. He had never been too interested in girls until he got back from home after Christmas – he didn't neglect taking a look or trying to start a conversation with some attractive girl from time to time, of course, but he had never really spent much time on it, focused on the classes as he was – but now he seemed to not have much else in mind, although from what he had heard him saying he didn't even seem to care too much for the girl he was currently 'dating'. Jack preferred to be discreet and avoid asking, but to him it felt like Sheldon was mostly trying to prove something to himself than actually seeking for pleasurable company.

"Says the one that got me involved in corporate espionage," Sheldon joked "relax, I'm just sneaking in the girls dorm. Even if they get me, I'll only get a reprimand – nothing to worry about."

Jack chuckled at the thought – it was indeed rather ironic that he was worried he would get in trouble for something like that after he had him loading a virus in the college's network after all. "Touché," he admitted "just be careful, alright?"

Sheldon nodded. Truth to be told, he wasn't even _that_ eager to go: fine, that Liz was overall nice and quite pretty, but she was boring. Not stupid or anything, just boring – he couldn't find much more in her that interested him other than her body and maybe her laughter, and she definitely wasn't the kind of girl he would be that willing to risk getting in trouble for…not usually, at least. But then again, he thought bitterly, there was nothing _usual _in his state of mind in the past two of weeks.

He hadn't been able to get his sister out of his mind. Any moment he wasn't busy or didn't have anything else to focus onto, his thoughts would immediately drift back to her. He had tried to ignore it, thinking he could handle it and that it would pass quickly, but he had grown increasingly uncomfortable when he had realized he just couldn't manage to get her out of his head. And then, much to his horror, he had begun dreaming of her. He could barely remember those dreams once he was awake, but he did remember she was in them and each time there had been an unpleasant sensation in his stomach at his awakening, as if his insides had been tied into a knot.

The last straw had been Jack asking him if he felt alright: apparently, he had been tossing and turning in his sleep, mumbling his sister's name – he was infinitely grateful of the fact he had never mentioned her name to him: he didn't even want to imagine of what he could think of him should he realize what it was that troubled him. Damn it, he didn't even know what to think himself!

"Sheldon?"

"Uh?" he recoiled and turned to glance at Jack, who was staring at him a little worriedly "what?"

"You zoned out for a moment," Jack said "are you sure you're alright? You're a little--"

"Yes!" Sheldon nearly barked, causing his roommate to blink in surprise before he managed to collect himself "yes, I'm fine. I'll be back tomorrow morning," he finally mumbled uncomfortably as he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

He drew in a deep breath as he leant against the door – that insanity had to end, he decided. He needed to focus on something else, on someone else, on anything or anyone that could just make him forget anything that had happened and just get back to normal. And it would work – it _had_ to work, he thought with a grimace before walking down the hallways and getting out from his dorm.

* * *

_What the hell do you think you're doing?_

Betty bit her lower lip, her gaze still fixed on the photo in her wallet. She had opened it to put her ID back in place, and she had found herself staring at her brother's face. The worst part was that she couldn't tear her gaze away from it while, given the current state of things, she probably should be disgusted by the mere thought of looking at it right now.

_I'm doing nothing wrong, I'm just…_

_You know perfectly there is nothing right with it. Put it away._

Without thinking, Betty reached for the photo, her fingertip gently brushing over it, thinking about the awkward moment they had in the garage, when they had realized just how close their faces were and how uncomfortable it suddenly made them feel. For a brief instant she found herself really wondering what would have happened if only they had closed those few inches of distance between them…

_For heaven's sake, Betty, put that thing away!_

Betty recoiled as of she had suddenly realized what she was thinking and suddenly dropped the wallet as if it was on fire. It fell on the ground, hiding Sheldon's photo from her sight. She swallowed, turning to glance at the wall, her breathing irregular.

"Hey, are you okay?"

She turned to see Dakota walking out of the bathroom, her face plastered with some unlikely substance she claimed would keep her skin clean. She nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said a little shakily, trying to keep her voice from trembling "I'm just tired," she added, leaning on the mattress and pulling the sheets over herself almost protectively, curling in a tight ball "goodnight."

"But…"

"I said _goodnight_," she nearly snarled, her eyes tightly shut.

Dakota sighed. "Alright, alright, no need to bite," she muttered, laying down herself and switching off the light. She fell asleep rather quickly, but Betty didn't. She stayed awake for a long time, staring blankly ahead, her mind refusing to process the thoughts storming in her mind.

She didn't dare to pick up her wallet from the ground until the following morning, and when she did she took away the photo and hid it in a drawer: maybe not having to see his face so often would make things easier.

Maybe.

* * *

"Sheldon?"

"Mmh?"

"Are you sleeping?"

"I was until a moment ago," Sheldon muttered somewhat moodily, opening his eyes to glance at the girl resting next to him and faintly wondering if it would better to just dump her before she actually had time to grow too attached to him. It was probably better that way – now that she had served her purpose, there was nothing that actually bounded him to her. He felt a twinge of guilt at the thought, and he was pretty sure that by the next morning the guilt would outweigh the relief, but for now all he knew was that his mind was dazed and that he wasn't thinking about his sister anymore, and it was enough. "What is it?" he asked, a little more gently.

Liz shrugged. "Nothing, I just wanted to see if you were awake."

…well, maybe he wasn't going to feel guilty for _too_ long. "Well, I'd rather sleep now – I have to get up early tomorrow to get back in my room without anyone noticing," he said, leaning back and closing his eyes "goodnight."

"You know, nobody had called me like that in years," she said with a chuckle, as if she hadn't even heard what he had just said "it's kind of cute, really – you're the only one to call me that way, and only in.…special moments. I like that," she chuckled again, leaning against him.

"Uh?" Sheldon opened his eyes again, frowning a little "what do you mean?"

She smiled, blushing slightly as she recalled what he had whispered while he moved inside her, his face nestled in the crook of her neck. "Well, everyone always called me Liz or Lizzie – you're the first one who calls me Betty since when I can remem--" she suddenly trailed off as she felt him stiffening by her side.

"What?" Sheldon breathed, something akin to panic spreading in his chest. No, it couldn't be, it just couldn't be! He refused to believe he could have called his sister's name while…no! He sat up, his eyes wide. "What did you say?"

_What did I say?_

"I said that nobody called me Betty in years," she repeated, puzzled, then she blinked as he suddenly got up and reached for his clothes "Sheldon, are you alright?"

"Yes," he replied, his own words sounding unnaturally calm to his own ears despite the panic he felt. His mouth felt horribly dry, his heart was beating so hard that he thought it could burst from his chest and he felt like just couldn't get enough air in his lungs – he had to get out from there. "I just remembered I left the water running in the sink, and my roommate will be out the whole night," he lied, his voice still remarkably firm as he quickly got dressed. "I have to get back."

"Oh," she seemed perplexed for a moment before chuckling in amusement "I see. What was it that made you think of your sink in what I said?"

"Betty," was all he managed to utter before he left the room without even turning to glance at her. He almost ran to the exit of the dorm, only stopping when he was outside. He stumbled forward and nearly fell, leaning against a wall for support, gasping for breath, his heart thundering. He closed his eyes, unable to believe that he had really called his sister's name while…while…

A sudden wave of nausea suddenly hit him, his stomach turning at the thought. He tried to walk to some bushed nearby, but his legs failed him and he fell on his knees before throwing up on the ground, his eyes watering. He coughed when he was done and rubbed his sleeve across his lips, the taste of bile bitter in his mouth. He took a few deep breaths and was about to try getting up, but a violent light hit his eyes before he could.

"Hey, you!" the night guard yelled at him, still pointing the flashlight in his eyes "what are you doing here? You should be in your dorm!"

Sheldon tried to speak, but his throat felt raw and he could only make a hoarse noise. He coughed again.

"Darn kids, getting drunk all the time," the man grunted as he got closer, glancing in distaste at the vomit on the ground "and people tell me I'm not doing my work! You better get up, kid, you're going straight to--" he suddenly trailed off, glancing at his mutilated arm – Sheldon had instinctively raised it to shield his eyes from the flashlight.

The guard cleared his throat, his eyes fixed on the stump. "Well, I guess it can pass for once," he finally said "can you walk, boy?"

Sheldon usually despised being pitied for his missing hand, but now he simply couldn't care less. He nodded numbly, trying to get up, and the man grabbed his arm to help him on his feet. He took a deep breath – his legs were still shaking and his head was spinning, but he could stand up and walk.

"Do you need help to get back to your dorm?"

Sheldon shook his head. "No," he croaked "no, I'll be just fine. Thank you."

The guard frowned. "Are you sure you're fine, son? You're shaking."

"I'm cold," Sheldon heard himself muttering "I'll be okay once I get in my dorm."

"Alright then – get back to your room immediately and _sleep_. You need it," he added with a chuckle, turning to walk away "I'm making an exception for this time, but don't get used to it."

Sheldon nodded numbly, staggering back to his dorm. His head was spinning too badly for him to actually think, and it was probably better that way: he didn't want to think again about what had happened – he _couldn't_ think again about what had happened. He had the horrible certainty he would go insane if he allowed himself to.

_But you have to! She's your sister, dammit! Your own sister!_

He shut his eyes and furiously shook his head. "No!" he nearly screamed, staggering to his room. He leant against the door, his eyes tightly shut, and he drew in a few deep breaths to calm down at least a little before he walked in. He had to sleep, he thought confusedly – he felt sick and his head was spinning, and he needed it all to stop. He would get on his bed and _sleep_, and the next morning he would be able to think about it more clearly.

Or to not think about it at all.

_You will have to sooner or later! There is something wrong with you!_

Sheldon gritted his teeth, ignoring the thought as he opened the door and stepped inside without turning on the lights. He was pretty sure Jack had to be sleeping by now, and he preferred to not wake him up – he would surely ask him why was he back already and why was he so pale, and he wasn't sure he would be able to stand it if he began asking questions he didn't want to give an answer to.

As he expected, the lights were off and Jack was sleeping already. He silently closed the door behind him and blindly stepped towards his bed…only to stumble on a heap of clothes he had carelessly left on the ground.

"Ouch!" he yelped as he hit the ground with a dull thud.

"Wha…?" he heard Jack muttering before the light was switched on, and he grimaced at the sudden light, his head throbbing "Sheldon? What are you doing here? I thought you were going to stay…Sheldon?" Jack frowned a little as he saw just how pale his friend was "are you alright?"

_Why, wonderfully. Isn't that obvious? _

"I'm fine," he croaked, fumbling to get up, his throat still aching "I just…need to lay down."

For a moment Jack nearly considered cracking a joke by asking him if it had been _that_ bad, but he quickly changed his mind as he saw how upset he really seemed. "You're pale," he pointed out, still frowning as he watched him letting himself collapse on the bed, fully clothed "is something wrong?"

Sheldon opened his mouth to speak, and for a single, insane moment he was almost tempted to say what exactly was wrong.

_Actually, yes – something is very wrong. Apparently, my brain woke up one morning and decided that having the hots for my sister would be perfectly fine. Why? Beats me. Or maybe it was already like this and I never realized it, I don't know – I don't know when or how it really began, nor I care. All I know is that at some point we couldn't stay near each other without things getting awkward. I hoped things would change once I stopped seeing her, but I was wrong. Over the past weeks I haven't been able to stop thinking about my sister, and definitely not the way I should think of her. And so I tried to sleep with the first girl I could find because I hoped it could help me getting over it, but guess what? I just found out I called her name while I was in bed with someone else without even realizing it. If this isn't wrong, I don't know what is. _

He began laughing at the idea of actually telling him all that – had he really considered confessing the truth? He had to be closer to insanity than he thought, he mused, and for some reason the idea suddenly seemed incredibly funny. He laughed harder.

His odd, joyless laugh that nearly chilled Jack to his bones. "Sheldon…?" he repeated, getting up from his bed to approach him.

Sheldon stopped laughing and swallowed, shaking his head as if to chase away that insane idea. "I'm thirsty," he said hoarsely, just realizing he still had the bitter taste of bile in his mouth.

Jack nodded. "I'll get you some water," he said, walking to the small fridge he had brought there from home, but Sheldon called out again.

"Wait – do you have sleeping pills?"

"Uh?" Jack turned to look at him, puzzled "sleeping pills?"

"Yes. I need to sleep," Sheldon said, and it was true. The mere thought of having to lay awake in the dark thinking again and again about what had happened was unbearable. Of course, there was still the possibility he could _dream_ about it, but he hoped the sleeping pills would grant him a dreamless sleep. "You have some, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," Jack said slowly – he did keep some sleeping pills with him in case he couldn't sleep, but he rarely took them "but are you sure it's the case? Maybe you should--"

"I need to sleep," Sheldon nearly snarled "I _have_ to."

"Hey, calm down, I'm just saying that you better avoid taking them in case you drank something alcoholic or if your stomach is empty. Did you…?"

"I didn't drink," Sheldon nearly snapped, deciding to omit the fact he had just thrown up whatever he had in his stomach, then he sighed as he saw the concerned look on Jack's face. "I only need to sleep, Jack. Please," he said wearily.

Well, Jack thought, now _that _was unexpected. Sheldon, pleading? He had been sure it would be a cold day in hell before he heard something like that. "Alright," he finally said, opening the fridge and throwing a bottle of water at him "drink something while I get you a pill," he added, frowning in concern as he heard Sheldon giving a chocking sound – he was drinking so greedily that he had nearly drowned himself.

He coughed, taking the bottle away from his lips, then he le cleared his throat. "Thanks," he muttered, his voice sounding reasonably firm as Jack handled him a sleeping pill.

"Yes, whatever – just don't get used to it, alright?"

Sheldon had to laugh. "I seem to be getting that a lot today," he said before putting the pill in his mouth and swallowing it with a mouthful of water.

Jack blinked, but he didn't inquire any further. "You'll have to tell me what in the world got into you someday," was all he finally said "now stay down, it should take effect in a few minutes – you aren't used to it."

Indeed, Sheldon was starting to feel dizzy. Maybe it wasn't actually the pill itself as much as the _knowing_ he had taken it to make him feel like that, but it mattered very little now. He put the bottle on the nightstand and rested back on the mattress, his eyes shut. "Jack?" he slurred.

"Yes?"

"Turn off the light," he said, and he let out a sigh as the light was switched off, leaving him in the dark. He lay motionless for a few minutes, blankly staring ahead, and he was relieved to realize he couldn't put his thoughts together anymore. He finally closed his eyes, and in a few minutes he had already fallen in a deep, blissfully dreamless sleep.

* * *

_"Hey!" Betty protested as he abruptly snatched the book from her hands "give it back!"_

"_You'll have to get it back, baby sister," he taunted, holding it above his head "or maybe, if you politely ask your older brother to return it, I'll…ow!"_

_Before he had the time to add anything else, Betty had already tackled him to the ground to get her book back. On some level, she was perfectly aware of what was going to happen, because it was something that had happened already – it was exactly the same scene, all over again…and still, she couldn't stop herself. It was like she only knew what awaited her on an unconscious level, without even fully realizing it. It was like that part of her brain was not in charge anymore._

Betty, stop. Stop this.

_This time, she was not surprised to feel him hard against her thigh – and much to the horror of that part of her mind that actually seemed to be working, she didn't feel upset either: all she felt now was a sense of excitement, longing and some kind of odd smugness that prevented her from putting any coherent thought together._

This is wrong. Stop!

_She brushed against him a little, getting a groan out of him, then she glanced down at her brother's face. The panicked, mortified expression that had been on Sheldon's face wasn't there anymore: now there was only a look of fierce hunger on his face that made her shiver, and she did nothing to stop him as his only hand reached to pull her mouth down on his. Nothing resembling rational thought crossed her mind for one single instant as she simply parted her lips to return the kiss._

Betty, DON'T!

_For one brief instant she almost came to her senses. She felt a sudden sense of repulsion and was about to pull back and break the kiss, but Sheldon's hand reached up to slide under her bathrobe, and she could only whimper in his mouth as--_

"NO!"

"What the…? Betty, what happened?" Dakota reached to turn on the light, worriedly looking at her roommate "why did you scream?"

"I…I…" Betty stuttered, unable to speak for a few moments. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath, immensely relieved to see that it had only been a dream and that she was in her room in college, thousand miles apart from her twin. It had only been her imagination, she told herself. Nothing had happened.

_Nothing?_

_It never got to…to that point._

_But in your mind it did. It's not normal dreaming of such things, Betty – not with your brother! How can you not realize how wrong it is?_

"Betty…?"

"I'm fine," she croaked, still trying to put some order in the thoughts that were storming in her mind and trying to ignore the fact she was still shivering, and not only because she was upset. She gritted her teeth, refusing to acknowledge the odd sense of heat in her loins – she was certain she could go insane if she did. "I just…had a nightmare."

* * *

"Are you seriously expecting me to believe you rushed back in our room in the middle of the night as if you just came out from a horror movie set and began screaming for sleeping pills because you had a _nightmare_?" Jack raised an eyebrow "I'm sorry, but I'm not buying it."

Well, Sheldon had to admit it wasn't the most believable lie he had ever come up with…but what the hell, he had just woken up and didn't even have his coffee yet. "Well, kind of," he said – he certainly _wasn't_ going to actually tell him what was wrong. He couldn't even bring himself to think about it.

_But you'll have to. You can't just ignore--_

He shook his head angrily. Yes, he could, and he _would_. It had only been a moment, that was all. Sure, it had upset him the previous night, but that was just because he hadn't stopped to think clearly. Now that he could think rationally, however, it was obvious it had just been a…a slip. Liz's real name was Elizabeth, just like his sister: he had merely used the wrong diminutive because it was the most familiar one, nothing else. It didn't have to mean anything at all – actually, it meant _nothing_.

He truly wished he could fully believe it.

"It was nothing important," he finally said, reaching for his toothbrush – right now he wanted nothing more than brushing his teeth at least twice to get rid of the taste of bile he could still feel in his mouth. Once he got rid of that, it would be easy forgetting the previous night had even happened.

_I doubt it will be so easy._

_Shut up._

_This isn't the kind of issues that disappears overnight. You must deal with it._

_There is nothing to deal with._

_Denial won't make you any good. You can't solve a problem if you don't acknowledge it._

_I don't have any problem._

"Is that your way of telling me to mind my own business?" Jack asked with a small smirk.

Sheldon grinned. "More or less," he said. He was about to add something else, but before he could someone knocked the door.

"Sheldon? Are you in there?"

Jack turned to look at him. "Looks like your date wants you," he said a little mockingly.

Sheldon made a face. Oh, no, not _now_. "Tell her I'm not here," he grumbled, closing the door of the bathroom and taking a mental note of thinking of a not too rough way to dump her. Last thing he needed was being stuck with someone that made him think of his sister, he thought with a grimace, refusing to acknowledge the fact that was clearly a problem that had to do with _him_, and not with any girl he could be involved with.

* * *

_You cannot just ignore what happened._

_I can and will. It means nothing._

_Oh, sure, nothing. Nevermind the fact you actually dreamed of the time Sheldon got a little too happy to see you…_

"It wasn't over _me_!" Betty muttered under her breath, stabbing an egg with her fork. She usually didn't eat eggs for breakfast, but she had gotten in the lunchroom late and there were only eggs left. She usually had breakfast much earlier, but that day she had stayed in the shower much longer than usual. She had never felt such a strong urge to wash herself over and over again before – she had almost finished all the soap, really.

_Oh, please – denial isn't just a river in Egypt, uh? It was over you, and you know it. And now you woke up feeling like you were on fire after dreaming of that accident…but a twist, apparently. This does mean something, Betty – it means that something is horribly wrong._

She groaned and shook her head, refusing to think about it one moment longer. No, it meant nothing, she thought almost fiercely. It was just a dream, nothing more – it wasn't _real_, for goodness sake. Stuff like that happened, and the fact that when she had woken up she was…well…it still meant _nothing_. It was a mere physiological reaction, that was all. It wouldn't have changed if there had been anyone else instead of her brother in that stupid dream. Nothing was wrong, she told herself. It was all in her head.

"Hey, your mail!"

"Uh?" Betty blinked as Dakota put an envelope on the table, then she smiled weakly "do you want to be a postman or something when you get out of here?" she joked.

Dakota, however, didn't seem to get the joke. "Nope, I just went to call home and took the mail while I was at it. Why?"

Betty shook her head. "Nevermind – thanks," she said, taking the envelope. Her stomach almost clenched for a few moments before she looked down at it: she almost feared it could be from her brother…but no, it was from Linda: Sheldon hadn't written to her yet. She felt both disappointed and oddly relieved by that.

_And maybe he won't do so at all. You didn't write to him either, did you? You were both always so eager to do so until a few weeks ago…and now you didn't write each other one single time. What changed, Betty? Can't you picture it?_

Betty gritted her teeth, put down the envelope and pushed her dish aside with a grimace – she wasn't hungry anymore, but she was quick to blame the fact she simply didn't like eggs at that time in the morning.

She wouldn't get one single letter from her brother for the whole semester, nor she would write to him. She couldn't bring herself to.


	9. Irreparable

_A/N: well, I did warn you this fic dealt with incest, right? Yup, I did. And this is the chapter in which said incest happens (as if the chapter title wasn't enough of a giveaway already, but whatever). It's nothing too detailed, but I figured out one more warning wouldn't hurt.  
Also, the next chapter is probably going to be delayed of a week as well: I still have more stuff to fix in the next few chapters, and since my NaNoWriMo is taking over most of my free time I can't get it done as quickly as I'd like to.  
And here I thought I could just post a fic I write beforehand without changing anything in the process, uh? Haha, right. Nice try, Pengy._

_

* * *

  
_

Jack Hench let out a sigh as he finally closed the lid of the last box. He should probably consider bringing less stuff with him for the following year, he thought: packing up all his things before leaving for summer had taken him most of the day, even with Sheldon helping him out. Jack snickered a little as he thought back at how he had yelped when he had accidentally dropped a box on his foot and turned to glance at his friend to mock him a little, but the snicker died in his throat as he saw him sitting on the edge of his bed, his gaze fixed ahead.

Here we go again, he thought. "Sheldon?"

He didn't give any sign of hearing him – he just kept staring ahead, lost in thought, a frown on his face.

"Earth to Sheldon, there is a message for you," Jack said a little sarcastically, waving a hand in front of his eyes, and Sheldon recoiled.

"What?"

"You zoned out again," Jack said "and you've been doing that a lot since this winter. Are you sure you don't want to tell me what the problem is?" he asked for what felt like the millionth time, already knowing the answer.

"It's nothing," Sheldon said almost defensively "I was just thinking."

"So you just turned into a heck of an abstract thinker last Christmas?" Jack said, raising an eyebrow "you look troubled. You've been looking troubled for _months_. I know you don't _have_ to tell me about whatever problem you have, but…"

"I have no problem!" Sheldon barked, and Jack held up his hands.

"Alright, fine," he said with a scowl "but you can't deny you've been acting weird since when you got back from home after Christmas…and now you don't seem really eager to get back there," he said a little snidely, and the way Sheldon suddenly winced was enough for him to know he had hit a nerve "is something wrong back home?" Jack asked quietly.

Sheldon turned to glance at him and he opened his mouth to deny once again, but then he hesitated. "It's nothing I can't deal with," he finally said vaguely "nothing to worry about."

"Then there _is_ something wrong."

"When did you turn into a psychologist or something, Jack?" Sheldon grumbled.

His friend smirked. "You have no idea of how useful psychology is when it comes to commercials."

Sheldon grinned a little. "Great, then I guess I'm lucky you're not trying to sell me something," he joked, trying to change subject – he didn't like the direction their conversation has taken, he didn't like it at all.

The thought of getting back home to face Betty again didn't just make him uncomfortable – it terrified him. The idea had only made him uneasy at first, just a twinge of uneasiness as he let his thoughts drift to the day he would have to face her again, but he had always been quick to chase away the thought and focus on something else.

But then it had grown worse and worse as the day he would have to get back home approached, until it anguished him to much that it infuriated him – just how was he supposed to face her again now? Sure, he could pretending nothing had ever happened, he could pretend he had never found himself thinking of her in a way he wasn't supposed to. He could fool her – he refused, simply _refused_ to think of the possibility she could find out – but he certainly couldn't fool himself.

On the other hand, there was a part of him that hoped against hope that he could just forget it, that things could just get back the way they always were. Maybe there was a chance, he told himself almost desperately. Maybe he would realize nothing that had happened meant anything the moment he saw her again, and everything would be alright again – after all it wasn't like she was aware of the fact something was wrong, was she?

_What about the uneasiness you both felt before leavening for college again, after those…how could you call them? Accidents?_

_We only had some awkward moments, nothing more. She has no reason to think anything is really wrong._

_Then why didn't she write you once all this time? You didn't exchange one letter, not once in months. Why?_

Sheldon couldn't think of anything he could retort to that.

* * *

Betty bit her lower lip as her flight was announced. She should be happy that it was finally summer and that she could get back home, and to a certain extent she _was_, still…

She sighed, grabbing her suitcase. Only months before, when she had gotten back home for Christmas, she had been looking forward to see Sheldon again: she had missed him, of course, just as any sibling would. But now, the idea of having to face her brother made her feel horribly uncomfortable.

What had happened the previous time had never really left her mind, no matter how much she had tried to not think about it or to shrug it off as a mere accident: throughout all those months, she had felt incredibly uneasy any time she even thought about it…even though thinking about it was something she usually tried to avoid. Still her thoughts would drift back to those moments and to the dreams she had had about them horribly often, and every time she would feel an odd, nagging feeling in her stomach – the same feeling she got when she knew something was very, very wrong.

_That's the understatement of the century. Something is horribly wrong, and you still refuse to acknowledge it._

_It's just a sensation, nothing more. Nothing is wrong._

_He didn't write to you once, and you couldn't bring yourself to write to him either. What is it that makes you both unwilling to hear from each other?_

_It was a busy semester for both._

_You're lying to yourself, and you're making a rather lousy job at it. You know something is wrong, and you know exactly what it is._

_Nothing's wrong. Everything will be just fine once we meet – it will be just like before!_

Betty nodded to herself, relieved by the thought. Of course things would be back to normal! They simply had some awkward moments, that was all, and the fact she couldn't get those moments out of her mind…it was pure suggestion, nothing more. Sheldon surely wasn't having such issues, so why should she? Everything would be alright again as soon as they met, she thought.

It _had_ to.

* * *

But of course, she was wrong. She knew she had been wrong the very same moment she stepped into the airport and saw her mother and brother waiting for her, just like last time…but last time Sheldon was calling out her name and waving at her, while now he barely glanced at her before quickly turning his gaze away.

Betty suddenly felt like something heavy had settled on her chest, but before she had the time to say or think anything her mother had already pulled her in a tight hug, saying something about how much she had grown even though Betty was pretty sure not much had changed in those months. She heard herself saying something to her mother before turning to look at Sheldon. She bit her lower lip before trying to speak. "Hi," she uttered, hoping against hope he would behave as if nothing had ever happened…well, _nothing_ had happened after all!

_Not yet._

The thought made her nearly wince, but she quickly chased it away. Besides, who said the reason of his brother's cold behaviour towards her was…what she thought? It could be anything else after all…

_Oh, really? Such as…?_

_I don't know. Anything._

_You're tying to deny the obvious – something is wrong, and you know exactly what._

Betty tried her best to not think about it and glanced to her brother again. Sheldon seemed to wince a little as she looked at him. He hesitated, looking rather uneasy, then he finally forced himself to smile a little – a fake, strained smile that could seem genuine to their mother but that didn't fool her for a single moment. "Hello, baby sister," was all he said before turning to their mother. "Mom, we probably better go now. I want to see how are the dogs are doing."

Theresa sighed. "It told you a thousand times they are _fine_," she said a little exasperatedly, a small smile on her lips "both Mimi and Her Majesty."

Betty blinked. "Her Majesty?"

"She means Princess," Sheldon clarified, still avoiding to look at her directly, and Betty realized she had nearly forgotten they had indeed kept one of the pups "if anything, seems like the name is fitting."

Their mother laughed. "It certainly is – she's the most pampered little thing I've ever seen in my life. I'm pretty sure Mrs. Creed spoiled her to no end while I was at work. Just like she always coddled you two when you were kids."

"Hey, she didn't coddle us!" Sheldon protested as they left the airport and approached the car "she just let us play on her lawn. And gave us sweets. And baked cakes. And helped us with homework. And let us watch what we wanted on TV. And bought us bikes for out tenth birthday. And…uh…" he paused, blinking "…okay, maybe she pampered us a little."

"That's the understatement of the decade – she spoiled you rotten," Theresa said with a laugh as they finally walked to the car. She expected the usual fight for the front seat to start, but much to her surprise nothing happened: both Sheldon and Betty simply put their suitcases in the van and then got into the car without uttering a single word. Betty didn't even seem to mind that she was sitting on the backseat as she leant back on the seat, absentmindedly glancing outside, and Sheldon didn't taunt her or anything – he just kept quiet, gazing ahead.

She frowned for a few moments, puzzled, then she shrugged. They were probably just tired from the trip, she thought, getting into the car as well and starting the engine…or maybe they had grown out of it? Yes, they probably had, she thought a little sadly…and she hadn't been there to watch them growing in those months. "Did the cat eat your tongue?" she asked jokingly "I'm still waiting to know how have you been, you know?"

They kept talking about college on their way home, and happy as she was to be with her children again Theresa failed to realize they were only talking to her and never to each other directly.

* * *

"The upper bunk is mine."

Betty winced a little as Sheldon finally spoke to her for the first time after what felt like hours. She glared at him – he was standing a few steps behind her, not getting any closer, his arms folded on his chest and a scowl on his face. She had almost hoped to see him grinning as usual, even though his voice had left no doubt he certainly wasn't – such arguments had always been almost fun for both of them, but now he didn't find it funny. Not at all.

"And I should leave it to you because…?" she asked, putting down her suitcase and trying to make herself stop feeling so darn uneasy about…about…about _what_? There was nothing wrong, absolutely nothing!

Sheldon folded his arms, glaring at her. "Because I'm the older brother," was the forceful reply, and his words lacked of all the nearly comical emphasis he usually put in that sentence. His voice was sharp and cold enough to nearly make Betty swallow, but she managed to get a grip on herself.

"You're _not_ my older brother," she nearly snarled "get it through your skull."

"I'm older, by four minutes!"

"It means nothing!"

"It does!"

"Stop bickering you two!" their mother's voice came from downstairs, clearly not realizing how much colder and sharper than usual their voices were "if you really want to sleep there, why don't you do like you did before leaving for college and just share it?"

Sheldon visibly winced at the thought, his stomach clenching. He bit his lower lip hard enough to nearly draw blood, instinctively glancing at his sister…and he found himself unable to tear his gaze away as he saw just how pale she had gone at the thought. She glanced back at him uncomfortably for just a second before she swallowed and turned away, instinctively wrapping her arms around herself somewhat self-consciously.

Could it be that she was having the same…the same issues he was dealing with? Sheldon opened his mouth to speak, then he hesitated and closed it without speaking – what could he possibly say after all? The mere idea of having to admit aloud something was wrong terrified him, let alone admitting it to _her_! He swallowed and let his gaze wander through the room they had shared since their birth – how could they feel comfortable there again now? How could they _ever_ feel comfortable around each other anymore?

They couldn't. And it all had happened because of that accident, because of that stupid, meaningless _accident_…!

"I…" Betty cleared her throat, still avoiding to look at him – that was so wrong, so horribly wrong…! "I better see if mom needs anything," she said lamely before turning his back to him and quickly walking outside, closing the door behind her as if to put a barrier between her and her brother.

Sheldon stood still for a few moments, staring at the closed door, then he slowly sat on the edge of the bed and put his hand over his eyes. He stayed motionless for a long time, unthinking, until he heard a sudden scratching noise breaking the silence, immediately followed by a yelping noise.

Sheldon recoiled and got up to open the door, and he had to smile as Mimi ran inside and stood on her hind legs, resting her front paws against his leg, enthusiastically waving her tail. "Here you are," he said with a weak smile, taking her in his arms and scratching her head a little absentmindedly as she tried to lick his face, his gaze still unfocused despite the weak smile on his lips.

* * *

Ignoring each other had turned out to be the easiest solution, Betty mused as he absentmindedly watched her brother playing football with some of their friends and some other guys they had met there in the park – hadn't her mind been occupied with other thoughts, she could have noticed how well he could do even without a hand. It looked like she was right when she told him he could still play with just one hand the previous summer – had it really been the previous summer? It felt like a lifetime ago now.

There was a part of her that constantly tried to tell her that ignoring each other was not a solution at all, but she had chosen to not listen to it. It was just so easy to just not acknowledge each other's presence unless they had to, she thought. There were moments she almost regretted it, desperately missing those times she actually enjoyed her brother's presence, but things were so different now; even though they could fool anyone else in public, their relationship had become so strained that it was simply…simply non-existing now, and as much as the thought saddened her she couldn't help but think that it was probably better that way…at least for now.

_For now? Just how long is this 'for now' going to last, Betty?_

_I don't know._

"Hey, Betty?"

She was snapped by her thoughts by Linda's slightly annoyed voice – it looked like she had gotten lost in her own thoughts again. She shook her head. "Yes?" she asked.

Linda smirked. "You didn't ear a word of what I said, uh?" she asked, sitting more comfortably on the bench – she just wasn't capable of sitting still in the same position for long.

Betty immediately shook her head. "Yes, of course," she replied "I heard everything you said about…uh…" she paused "…alright, fine. I didn't hear a word," she said apologetically.

"Yeah, I noticed. What are you always thinking about these days?" she asked, poking her shoulder "did you meet someone interesting in college? You can tell me, I won't say a word to your jealous big brother over there," she said with a grin.

Betty almost grimaced as she mentioned her brother. "I didn't meet anyone, really."

"Where are you studying, in the middle of a desert?"

"Oh, you get what I mean," Betty chuckled a little "no one 'interesting', as you put it."

"And here I hoped you would have some juicy news. Your tastes are just too complicated, that's it. You spoilsport," Linda taunted her a little before glancing ahead "looks like they got tired of trying to break each other's bones. Maybe they hit their heads and got their brains working," she said, and Betty turned to see that the game was over and that Sheldon and two of their friends were approaching to them, talking animatedly about the match. Sheldon glanced at her only for a moment before turning his gaze away, suddenly looking very interested on whatever Ned was telling him.

"Good afternoon, my fair ladies," Brain said jokingly as he bowed to them "do you mind if we cherish in your presence for a while?"

Linda laughed. "Idiot," she muttered, and Betty couldn't help but be amused herself. Brian had always behaved like that around them, though it was clear to everyone it wasn't anything to take seriously: he wouldn't actually hit on Linda because everyone and their cat knew Ned had a thing for her since middle school, and he wouldn't really hit on her because Sheldon would start acting like an overprotective older brother. She frowned at the thought – once the idea would only annoy her, but now it was almost worrying.

"Hey, why angry frown?" Brian said, snapping her from her thoughts "cheer up, my fair lady. You look way prettier when you smile," he added with a wink.

Sheldon, who had finally turned his attention from whatever Ned had been telling him, frowned as he felt an off, nagging feeling in his stomach. He didn't like it how Brian was behaving around Betty – he didn't like it at all. "Okay, fine, we get it," he grumbled "now drop it, okay? There's plenty of people you can play the knight with and that are _not_ my sister."

"Plenty? Ah, hardly – seems like there's just us left in town! And hey, is it just me or you got prettier in college?" Brian laughed, and it was clear to everyone but Sheldon that he was only _joking_ – it wasn't even the first time he joked like that "I'm almost regretting I never got to learn anything Shakespeare wrote, or else I could quote it. Didn't he say something about a rose at some point…?"

"I said _drop it_," Sheldon snarled, causing Betty to give him a startled, almost worried look, but no one else seemed to be aware of how angry he was really getting.

"Hey, it's not my fault if she's so pretty," Brian laughed again, jokingly winking at her, a wide grin on his face "I could really end up going against the odds and asking you out, you kno-- ow!" he trailed off with a yelp as Sheldon suddenly stepped forward and reached to grab his neck, smashing him against a tree with a growl. He blinked, too confused to actually get angry. "Hey, what the heck…?"

Betty, who had stared at the scene with widened eyes for a few moments, suddenly felt something very close to dread spreading in her chest. The way her brother had reacted scared her, and it had to _stop_. "Sheldon!" she shouted, stepping forward and grabbing his arm – now he had really gone too far "let him go!"

Her brother completely ignored her. "I told you to drop it!" he barked, his hand holding the front of Brian's shirt, completely ignoring the fact that with only one hand Brian could have actually beaten him up if he wanted to "you better leave her alone!"

"What…?" Brian gaped at him, then he scowled "hey, chill, I was just _kidding_!" he protested.

"Well, I didn't like the joke!" he retorted, and he was about to add something else when he felt Ned – always the peacemaker – putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Sheldon, he was just _joking_," he said "he wasn't really hitting on her, he always was like that around her since middle school! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Sheldon flinched at his question, and only them he seemed to realize what he was doing. "I…" he stammered, finally letting go of him and taking a step back. He took a deep breath and shook his head, glancing down at his only hand as if he had never saw it before – it was shaking. What in the world had gotten in him? He shouldn't have reacted that way, he simply shouldn't have! He had always been a little wary of whatever boy he saw around his sister because he _was_ her older brother after all…but actually picking a fight with one of their best friends because of a joke was completely different.

_What in the world is wrong with you?_

_You have no idea, Ned._

He swallowed and glanced up to the others – everyone was looking at him with a perplexed and somewhat worried expression…everyone but Betty, who just avoided his gaze as he looked at her. He bit his lower lip, feeling as if his insides had been tied in a knot, and turned back to Brian. "I…you're right, I overreacted," he heard himself saying, then he forced himself to grin somewhat apologetically "it's kind of stressing not knowing what your baby sister is doing for most of the year. A big brother thing," he added, pretending he hadn't heard Betty's snort.

Brian stared at him for a few more moments, still surprised, then he snickered. "Okay, good point. I'll watch my tongue next time, Overprotective Big Brother," he joked, and Sheldon was at least partially relieved to see he clearly wasn't going to hold any grudge for what had happened. He doubted Brian would ever hold any grudge to anyone who hadn't set his cat on fire or something.

He forced himself to laugh. "Good idea," he said "so, no bad feelings?"

Brian gave him a powerful pat on his back – a little _too_ powerful, maybe, but Sheldon guessed he had deserved it. "No bad feelings," he said with a shrug before turning to Ned and Linda "hey, how about an ice-cream? I'm melting, and the big brother here needs to cool down," he trailed off and mockingly raised his arms over his head "it was just a joke, don't kill me!" he shrieked, causing everyone to laugh. Even Sheldon and Betty somehow managed to force themselves to laugh.

"Yes, I'm melting too," Linda finally said, and predictably enough Ned immediately agreed with her.

"Ice-cream it is," Ned grabbed the ball "and Brian pays for everyone because he couldn't keep the ball to save his life today!"

Brian made a face, but he didn't really seem bothered as he followed them. "Not fair," he whined "I had the idea…!"

Sheldon hesitated before following them. He swallowed and turned to his sister, who was still standing where she was, her arms folded, avoiding to look at him. "Betty, listen…"

"No," she said sharply, suddenly looking up to glare at him "I don't want to _listen_ to anything you say. You…" she paused and shook her head. Until that moment ignoring each other had been enough, but now it wasn't possible – even though everyone else had only thought of it as a simple overreaction, she knew it was much more than that, and it _scared_ her. It wasn't like her brother had really stated aloud what was wrong between them, but what had happened was pretty close in her eyes; he had just broken that frail balance they had managed to keep until that moment. "I don't know what is _wrong_ with you, but you better not try to drag me into it. Stay away from me," she finally snarled before walking past him to join the others.

Sheldon stared at her for a few moments, his features twisted in a bitter scowl before he slowly walked after them.

* * *

The weeks that followed were the closest thing to hell they both could think of.

For most of the time they avoided each other, or just ignored one another while they were with other people – and should they fight people would only think they were simply squabbling as usual, not even realizing something had changed: to them it was just the Director twins being their normal selves, and no one ever suspected how far from _normal_ their issues were.

But the moments they were forced to stay in the same place alone were moments of pure hell. The awkwardness they felt around each other hadn't faded as they had hoped: it only got worse as the tension kept growing, to the point they just couldn't stand being in the same room without finding at least one excuse to fight, and those fights had nothing to do with the arguments and taunts they had always had.

The subjects of their fights were always the same – whether Sheldon was the older brother or not, who should sleep on the upper bunk and so forth. Neither of them was willing to say aloud what it really was that was bothering them, but for the first time, there was really something awfully close to _hatred_ in what they said to each other, even though neither of them realized it. All they knew was that while fighting they could get rid, at least for a while, of that horrible feeling that there was something awfully wrong with them: if they really couldn't escape each other's presence, if they really couldn't get each other out of their mind, then they would _hate_ it – twisted as it was, it still made them feel better and took away the awkwardness, and they felt like it was the only thing that was keeping them sane.

They _needed_ it, and they needed it so much that they could barely bring themselves to miss the time they actually enjoyed each other's presence without any issue – had only a few months really passed since then? God, it seemed incredible just how much their relationship had changed while they were separated only for months; sometimes Betty almost wished they had never gotten to college, because maybe, just _maybe_ things wouldn't have gone downhill as they had.

Many years later, Dr. Director would have wondered what could have happened if they had managed to actually speak about that…attraction they had to each other. Maybe the could have managed to avoid making that mistake, maybe they could have managed to get over it reasonably if only they had given it a try, and they wouldn't have ended up as sworn enemies.

But they never spoke a word about it until the building tension between them made the irreparable happen, and then it was too late for them to even try.

* * *

Betty muttered something rather nasty under her breath as she finally got back home. The evening with Linda – a girls-only thing, as she had called it – had been fun, but it had started to rain and she, of course, had no umbrella with her, so now she was soaked to the bones. Just her luck, she thought as she silently closed the door behind her and went upstairs to get rid of her wet clothes and put on a bathrobe. Her hair could wait, she decided as she got into the bathroom and switched on the light – she was just too tired to bother about that now.

Sheldon groggily opened his eyes at the sudden brightness that came from the hallway just for a moment before the bathroom door was shut – Betty was back home, he thought with a frown before turning to glance at the clock. He was surprised to notice it was three in the morning already – where in the world had she been all that time? His scowl deepened as he sat up on the upper bunk he had gotten to sleep onto that night.

_Why should you care? It's not worth having to face her, and two in the morning isn't the right time to start fighting._

It would have probably been the most sensible thing to do, but Sheldon wasn't willing to follow his own advice. She was his baby sister! She wasn't supposed to stay out that late with…with…who the hell had she been out with anyway? He gritted his teeth, his scowl deepening as kicked the sheets off himself and climbed down just as Betty silently walked in, wearing a bathrobe. She froze on the doorway as she saw her brother was up and glaring at her: she had hoped to avoid confrontations and…and…why in the world did he _have_ to sleep in his underwear anyway? She uncomfortably shifted her weight from one leg to the other.

"Where have you been?" Sheldon nearly snarled.

She scoffed. "Out," she said stiffly, closing the door and trying to walk past him to her bunk, faintly hoping the argument would end there. Fat chance.

"Not so fast, baby sister!" he growled "I want you to tell me where have you been and with whom!"

Betty blinked, glancing at him in the dim light, and for a brief moment she was almost scared before she folded her arms. "I don't see any reason why I should tell you!" she retorted, and Sheldon felt a brief twinge of an odd mixture of rage and pain as he realized that there had never been such secrets between them before. Now the mere thought she could have been with someone, anyone he didn't know about drove him insane.

"You should because I'm you're older brother and I tell you to do so!" he nearly shouted, taking a step forward, and his sister instinctively stepped back before regaining her courage.

"You're just a whiny idiot, that's all! And why should you care anyway? Are you jealous or what?" she shot back, striking a calculated blow. The mere idea of what that would mean was enough to make her shudder inwardly, but it seemed to have the same effect on her brother, for he suddenly froze.

"I…" he paused, and for a moment he was almost ashamed to realize it was the truth before he managed to chase away the thought. He angrily shook his head. "I'm not!" he hissed furiously, trying with all his might to convince himself of what he was saying "I just want to know where you went because…because…" his voice suddenly broke as he stared ahead, his eyes wide, and for a moment he looked so lost that Betty didn't know if she should feel horrified or sorry for him. Maybe both. "I'm the older brother," Sheldon finally said, his voice unusually weak "I'm the older brother…"

Betty's stomach suddenly clenched as she felt a sudden wave of disgust. Yes, something was wrong and they both knew it – what in the world were they doing in the same room? She gritted her teeth in sudden anger. It was his fault, all his fault! If only he had stayed in his bunk instead of getting up to confront her they wouldn't even be having that conversation! "You're not my older brother, Sheldon – you're just _sick_," she snarled almost viciously, causing her brother to wince before his own face scowled in anger.

"I'm not…you!" he snarled, and for a few moments he seemed unable to add more, as if his own anger kept him from actually getting his thoughts into words. "You can't talk to me like that! You're my little sister! You can't…!"

"I can and _am_," Betty said retorted, not really knowing if she was shaking in suppressed rage or for some other reason she couldn't define "get back to sleep. I'll sleep downstairs until…until…"

_Yeah, until when? When will it end, if it ever will? And how will you explain yourself to your mother when she'll see you sleeping on the couch?_

I don't know, she admitted to herself before turning her attention back to Sheldon. "Stay away from me until you come to your senses, Sheldon," she said coldly before turning to leave.

Considering the situation, Sheldon probably should have been relieved by the fact she was leaving…but instead, he felt something oddly close to panic mixing with the anger. "You aren't leaving until I tell you to leave! You're my younger sister – you can't treat me like this!" he snarled without almost thinking, reaching out to roughly grab her arm.

Her eyes widened in shock as she felt him grabbing her. She scowled, turning to face him "What do you think--" Betty trailed off, the thoughts that had been storming through her mind suddenly freezing as he instinctively pulled her closer, his face barely a few inches from hers, and he suddenly fell silent as well, staring at her. She tried to speak, but words failed her and her brain just didn't seem to be working anymore, for all she could do was staring up at him at the dim light coming from the window.

Her brother was pale, paler than she could ever remember seeing him – maybe even paler than he had been right after the accident that had costed him his right hand – and he was chewing his lower lip bloody. Now that the rage had promptly vanished he looked uncertain…and at least as scared as she was, Betty was astonished to notice. It was the expression of a man who knows he's about to do something awfully wrong that he would certainly regret, and still cannot stop himself.

That was wrong. Horribly wrong. She knew she should push him away, say something sarcastic and pretend that never happened – _nothing_ had ever happened, absolutely nothing, because it was just her imagination and it just couldn't be, there was simply _no way_ that could be happening – then again she just stood still for a few moments, barely daring to breathe, her eyes fixed on Sheldon's face.

_He lost his mind, that's obvious – if he can't stop, you will have to. This…this insanity went on for too long already. Stop this! Stop before it's too late!_

Betty's hands instinctively went to rest on Sheldon's bare chest, her muscles tensing as she got ready to push him away from her, her mind racing to find something, _anything_ she could say that would just make it feel like nothing had happened, that would allow both if them to pretend everything was just fine and…and…

…_and…_

She froze as the horrible realization dawned in her mind – she couldn't push him away. Her eyes widened as she stared at her own hands, still resting on his chest, her fingers quivering slightly as she felt the warmth that seemed to be radiating from his body. No matter what, she simply couldn't bring herself to push him away…nor could she get her hands off him. As if on their own accord, her trembling fingers traced his chest, causing him to shudder.

Betty swallowed as he took in a sharp breath, feeling an odd mixture of confusion, guilt and something awfully close to _satisfaction_ for getting that reaction out of him. She looked up at him again, and she was almost scared by the look on his face – a look of guilt, shame, and uncertainty…but, most of all, hunger.

_I shouldn't. We shouldn't. This is insanity. _

His hand let go of her arm. Had she been in her right mind she would have stepped back now that she could, while they still were in the realms of safety and hadn't done anything regrettable, but she didn't step back or remove her hands from his chest. He hesitated just for a moment, then he wrapped his mutilated arm around her, drawing her closer. Without his hand he couldn't actually hold her tightly – it wouldn't have taken much of an effort to get away from him – but again, she didn't even try to do so: she could only keep staring up at him, shaking. She barely managed to stifle a sigh as his only hand uncertainly reached to stroke her face.

His touch seemed to burn like fire. For a moment she almost thought it would leave a mark, something that would forever be on her skin, and she felt a twinge of shame at the thought – but now it felt somewhat dazed, as if it didn't really regard her. _Everything_ felt awfully dazed, she thought confusedly as she felt his fingers tangling in her hair, and his lips brushing on her neck. He paused for a few moments, breathing deeply as if he couldn't get enough of her scent, and she made one last attempt at speaking, at telling him that they should stop, but only a soft whimper left her as his mouth tentatively pressed on hers.

It wasn't right, and she knew it. It shouldn't feel so good – the mere thought was supposed to disgust her rather than making her crave for more. It was wrong. It was repulsing. It was immoral. It went against… against _everything_ that was right.

And she wanted it.

Anything even vaguely resembling rational thinking that had been left in her mind seemed to disappear, only leaving some sort of hunger she couldn't quite remember feeling before. She parted her lips to let him deepen the kiss, and he eagerly did so, completely ignoring the part of his mind that kept screaming at him to put an end to that insanity. The pace of his breathing increased as her hands went up to rest on his shoulders. He kissed her again, with more confidence now, unable to even think – his brain seemed unable to register anything but her scent and her warmth and the soft wetness of her mouth – and she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back almost forcefully.

Had she been able to put her thoughts together, Betty could have thought it was somewhat funny how they could turn even a kiss into something similar to a battle for dominance – then again, she wouldn't be kissing her brother at all had she been able to put any kind of coherent thought together. It was simply too wrong for her to actually wrap her mind around it. In the years to come, any time she forced herself to think about it she would never be able to truly understand what had happened in her mind that night.

She suddenly broke the kiss and pulled back just enough to take in a sharp breath as Sheldon's hand slipped under her bathrobe and cupped her breast, his thumb fondling her nipple, and her whole body tingled at the unfamiliar but pleasant sensation. Her knees suddenly felt too weak to support her despite he rush of excitement that ran through her body, and she clung to him to keep standing. Her nails sank in his shoulders, and just for a moment she managed to stay lucid enough to relax her grip so she wouldn't draw blood. Someone could notice if she left marks, she thought confusedly, unable to actually realize what exactly could happen should anyone find out.

His lips claimed hers again, severing any further thought, and she trembled against him as she felt him opening her bathrobe and pulling it off her shoulders. She instinctively lowered her arms to let it fall on the floor, breaking the kiss only for one moment, and Sheldon could catch a glimpse of her bare body before she eagerly pressed her lips on his again.

So beautiful, he thought somewhat confusedly as his only hand moved down her back, making her shiver, and it stopped to rest on her waist, his grip around her tightening. Her hands gripped his shoulders again, her chest pressing against his as she leant forward to deepen the kiss.

Betty winced when she felt him hard against her hip. She shifted a little, brushing against him, and Sheldon moaned in his throat while he instinctively pressed his hips against hers, causing her to gasp helplessly as a wave of arousal and desperate wanting rushed over her.

The texture of his boxers felt oddly rough against her sensitive skin – unbearably so. That wasn't what she wanted to feel. Her hands went from his shoulders to his waist, her fingers gripping the waistband of his boxers and pulling them down.

The next day, while battling their own shame and guilt in the desperate attempt to blame each other and deny the simple fact they had both enjoyed it, they would have thought that, had they both been wearing clothes, the time getting rid of them would require could have been enough for them to think more clearly and stop while they still could. If only Betty hadn't been wearing just a bathrobe, they would think, if only Sheldon hadn't the habit of sleeping in his underwear…if only getting rid of the little clothing between them hadn't been so horribly easy!

But for now, and as they tumbled together on the lower bunk of the bunk bed they had shared since childhood, their minds were a thousand miles away form the regret and shame and disgust that wouldn't leave them for many years to come.


	10. Shattered

Betty stirred slightly as sunlight made it through the curtains and fell right on her face. She groaned a little, muttering something intelligible as she instinctively tried to roll over to escape the light. She was still mostly asleep, so for a brief instant she didn't realize what was it was as she felt something warm against her bare back.

But it only took a moment for her to realize it. Her eyes snapped open, a horrified expression twisting her features as memories of the previous night suddenly came back to her mind like an avalanche. Every instant, every touch, everything she had felt flooded her mind, filling her with unspeakable dread. Her whole body shook with revulsion at the memory, her throat suddenly feeling terribly dry. No, she tried to tell herself, it couldn't have happened. It just couldn't. It had to be some twisted nightmare, it couldn't have really happened – she _couldn't_ have lost her mind like that!

That frail hope was shattered as Sheldon shifted a little in his sleep, and her horror grew as she realized without a shadow of doubt that he _was_ sleeping next to her, his chest against her back, his face nestled in her hair. It took a few moments for the realization to sink in her mind, and a few more instants for her to realize that the warm weight around her waist was her brother's left arm. It hadn't been a nightmare: nothing of what had happened had been a nightmare. It was much worse – it was _real_. She had slept with her brother.

_NO!_

She could almost _feel_ something in her mind snapping just one instant before she gave a strangled cry and instinctively scrambled off the bed, her mind blurred, struggling to not scream. Her legs were shaking too much for her to stand, and she fell on the ground heavily. She saw the bathrobe she had been wearing the previous night in a heap on the ground, and she immediately grabbed it to shield herself from his sight.

_A little too late for that._

Betty desperately shook her head as she shakily put the bathrobe over her shoulders and wrapped it around herself, not even trying to get up from the floor. She didn't _want_ to – all she wanted was curling up in a tight ball, close her eyes and then wake up to find out nothing had been real.

"Wha…?"

She winced and looked up to see that Sheldon was stirring – she had probably hit without even realizing it when she had broken free from his grasp. He blinked a couple of times before sitting up, groggily rubbing his eyes. He glanced around, probably to see what had it been to wake him up so roughly, and he suddenly froze as he finally saw Betty on the ground, her bathrobe protectively folded around herself, a horrified expression on her terribly pale face. They stared at each other for a few moments, both of them unable to speak, and Betty could see a look of horror that matched her own forming on her brother's face as his mind seemed to finally clear enough for him to remember what had happened, what they had done.

"No," Sheldon heard himself whispering, his widened eyes still fixed on her as if hoping she could tell him that nothing had truly happened, that it had only been his imagination – but her expression was enough to tell him that it was a vain hope. "No," he repeated, this time sounding almost desperate "we haven't…we can't…!" he stuttered, unable to speak coherently. He shook his head with a strangled noise of disgust before turning away from her – he couldn't stand looking at her: they way she kept wordlessly staring at him…it felt like she was _accusing_ him, and the thought drove him insane.

His only hand gripped the sheets so tightly that his knuckles nearly turned white. He glanced down, and he shuddered as he saw a small bloodstain on the white sheets – Betty's blood.

_Looks like you were her first._

He shut his eyes to not see it. "No," he repeated weakly as if saying that over and over could change anything "no, no, no…" his voice faded, leaving him unable to utter a single word, a horrible sense of disgust and guilt gripping his throat, making him feel like he was about to choke.

Betty opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't say anything. She felt like her brain had frozen, keeping her from really feeling anything but disgust and shame. She closed her mouth without speaking and finally got back on her feet, her legs still shaking. Sheldon didn't raise his head or turn to look at her as she numbly staggered out of the room and into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

It costed her a terrible effort making herself look into the mirror, and when she finally managed to she could barely recognize herself. She was so terribly pale that one could barely tell she was alive, and her face was twisted in a terrible mixture of shame, horror, disgust and guilt.

_You at least have the decency to feel bad now that the damage has been done!_

She bit her lower lip, suddenly feeling an intense sense of loathing for the face staring back at her from the mirror – for herself. What in the world has she been thinking? Why hadn't she stopped it? Why hadn't she even _tried_? She knew it was insane, she knew it was _wrong_, she had known in since…since…and why hadn't it hurt? It had been her first time, it was supposed to hurt! I _should_ have hurt! It should have hurt her enough to make her come to her senses before…before…

_Even if it hurt, it would have been too late already._

A sudden, violent wave of nausea surged through her. She grasped the sink for support, her knees terribly weak, and she dry retched in the sink a few times, her eyes watering, her throat raw. She took a few deep breaths before she finally managed to take a few steps back. She leant against the wall for support, her eyes tightly shut to not see her reflection in the mirror – she didn't want to see it anymore. Not now, not _ever_.

Betty stayed still for a few minutes, unmoving, unthinking, until she felt like she could try walking without her knees giving in. Still avoiding with all her might to look at the mirror, she turned on the shower and stepped inside. The water was so hot that it burned her skin raw, but she didn't care – never in her life she had felt so filthy. Her trembling fingers reached for the soap.

_There is no amount of soap that could make you any less filthy. Do you even realize what you have done? You slept with your brother! Your own brother!_

Betty desperately shook her head.

_It wasn't my fault! I wasn't thinking! I didn't know what I was doing! I…I…_

_That's a lame excuse if I ever heard one._

_He manipulated me! I wasn't thinking clearly – he took advantage of it! It's his fault!_

_It's not true. You gave yourself over._

"He started it! It was him!" she suddenly sobbed, slamming her fists again the back wall of the shower and leaning her forehead against the cold surface "it was him…!"

_But you gave in – you let him! You could have stopped him, and you didn't!_

Another sob wracked her chest. "No!" she nearly cried out, her knees abruptly buckling. She fell on the bottom of the tub, the heated steam still burning her skin, a fit of violent sobs making her whole frame shake.

_How are you going to look at your mother again? How are you going to look at _yourself_ again? _

Betty shut her eyes tightly, desperately refusing to let herself think about it. She _couldn't_ bring herself to think what could happen should anyone ever find out what she and Sheldon had done, and she wasn't sure she would ever be able to face her mother or…anyone ever again. Her sobs eventually turned into whimpers, her throat raw, and she hugged herself, rubbing her arms almost frantically in a desperate attempt to make the feeling of his skin on hers go away.

But there was no use: she still felt his touch on her, his heartbeats against hers, his skin, his scent. She still felt him _inside_ her, and it was driving her insane – she didn't know if it would ever go away.

Betty couldn't tell how much time she had stayed in the shower, but it has surely been a long while, for she was eventually snapped from her anguished thoughts by a sudden splash of cold water that felt icy against her now reddened, burning skin – she had ran out of hot water. She let out a groan before numbly getting up, reaching to turn off the water. She had cried for so long that her eyes burned, her nose was stuffed, her throat hurt and she felt awfully light-headed.

Good, she thought as she stepped out of the shower and grabbed her bathrobe, wrapping it tightly around herself. At least she would be able to only focus on the physical discomfort. Her mind felt completely numb for now, and she _needed_ it to be numb: she was afraid she wouldn't be able to keep whatever was left of her sanity otherwise.

She hesitated in front of the door. She didn't want to get out of there: the mere thought of facing her brother again filled her with dread…still, she couldn't stay in there forever. She could avoid him and get out – it didn't matter where she went, but she had to stay away from there…then again, all her clothes were in their room, which meant she was going to have to meet him much sooner that she would have wished. But maybe he wouldn't be home, she thought almost desperately, turning the handle and stepping out. Maybe he had left.

But she was wrong, of course. He was still in their room, and if it wasn't for the fact he had hastily clothed himself she would have thought he had barely moved at all the whole time: he was still sitting on the edge of the bed, his blank gaze staring down without really seeing anything, and he was terribly pale, chewing his lower lip bloody. He looked miserable, and for the briefest moment Betty almost felt something close to empathy to him, then she shook her head almost furiously. He was the one to blame, she reminded herself – everything that had happened had been his fault! All his fault!

She gritted her teeth, folding her arms around herself as if to further shield herself from his gaze. "What are you doing still here?" she hissed, and she was relieved beyond belief to find out that her rage against him outweighed the disgust she felt for herself: reminding herself _he_ was the one to blame made her feel infinitely better. It made her feel less guilty.

Sheldon recoiled as he hear her voice and instinctively turned to face her, and he seemed taken aback to see how _furious_ she looked, even though her reddened eyes were enough to tell him she had been crying. He felt his stomach clenching. "I…" he tried to think of something, anything he could say, but he still couldn't think of anything. He turned his glance away, hanging his head, resting his hand over his eyes.

For a brief moment Betty's rage almost vanished, but something in his pose suddenly reminded her of how he looked after the…accident months before, when her brother had an erection over her, and she suddenly felt even more furious. That was the proof – it had been his fault! All his fault! He probably had been planning to manipulate her as he had for months! And now what was he expecting, to pass as some kind of _victim_ by behaving like a beaten dog? As _if_!

"How _could_ you?" she asked, her voice trembling with rage "why did you do this to me? Why _me_?" she had to pause and swallow, trying to not start crying again.

"_What_?" he blurted out, his eyes widening as he stared at her – what was she saying? Why was she talking as if he had _made_ her or something? He stared at her furious face, and the sense of guilt and shame suddenly turned into rage – she had no right to be enraged to him! No right! It hadn't been his fault – nothing would have happened if only…if only… "It wasn't my fault!" he shouted, jumping on his feet, his only hand clenching in a tight fist "I didn't want things to get this far! I didn't know, I didn't think, I…I…" he stopped, unable to speak, and for a moment he felt like he would choke on his own fury and disgust.

"You started it!" she screamed, tears threatening to fill her eyes again "nothing would have happened if only you didn't…you…you _grabbed_ me! I was leaving, and you pulled me back! How can you say it wasn't your fault?"

"It's not like I _made_ you!" he retorted. He refused to take all the blame of what had happened! He refused to! He was out of his mind, he wasn't thinking – she should have stopped him! She should have made him snap out of it! "You complied! You didn't even _try_ to stop me! _Why_ didn't you even try?"

Betty gritted his teeth at the thought, feeling once again horribly guilty. It was true, she hadn't even tried to stop him, still… "I was confused," she said "I couldn't think clearly, and…and…you took advantage of it! You manipulated me!"

"NO!" he roared, slamming his fist against the wall with enough strength to nearly break his knuckles, but he didn't even register the pain that shot through his arm. "You can't blame it on me! You can't!" he sounded almost desperate now, the guilt and shame and disgust getting so unbearable that they made him feel physically sick, and he clung to his rage as if it was the only thing that allowed him to keep his sanity.

But she didn't notice the despair in his voice, or she chose not to. All that mattered was clinging to the certainty that it hadn't been her fault, that she wasn't the one to blame. "Stay away!" she screamed as he took a step forward "don't come any closer to me! Don't you _dare_!"

Sheldon immediately froze, startled to hear hatred in her voice other than the disgust and the guilt, then he narrowed his eyes. "I have no intention to – I don't want to _see_ you ever again in my life!" he snarled furiously.

Betty took a deep breath, trying to calm down, and when she spoke again her voice was as cold as ice. "Fine, looks like we both agree on something for once," she said icily "get out of my sight, Sheldon – I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore."

He stared at her only for a moment before scowling. "Fine," he snapped, marching past her "I'll be _glad_ to!"

"And know this," Betty said aloud, making him stop on the doorway "the only thing keeping me from giving you what you deserve is that mom would be devastated to find out…" she paused and took a deep breath before speaking again "I'll carry it to the grave – you better do the same."

"Scared someone might find out you're not as innocent as you want to seem, baby sister?" he said tauntingly, inwardly shuddering at the thought of what could happen should anyone find out what they had done.

She turned abruptly, glaring absolute death to him. "Don't even try to call me like that anymore," she growled "I'm _not_ you baby sister! I just wish I wasn't you sister _at all_, I wish you never existed! You disgust me, Sheldon – I refuse to have anything to do with you!"

Sheldon scoffed. "I'm the older brother – I call you whatever the hell I want," he said coldly before leaving, slamming the door shut behind him.

Betty stood still for a few moments, listening as he stomped downstairs, then she turned away from the door with a grimace. Her gaze fell on the on the lower bunk of the bed, and she felt a pang of disgust that made her stomach turn as she saw the small stain of blood on the crumpled sheets – _her_ blood. She lowered her gaze to the floor, a horrible sense of loss pervading her, and she finally allowed herself to break down again.

* * *

Minutes and hours seemed to be passing agonizingly slowly, Sheldon mused as he shifted a little to find a more comfortable position on the couch. He unwillingly turned to glance at the clock – it was barely afternoon now, but he could have sworn he had spent years laying on that couch, unmoving, blankly staring ahead and refusing to think about anything at all. He hadn't seen Betty the whole time, so he assumed she was still locked in their room…or, better yet, that was what he would have assumed if he had brought himself to actually think about his sister or anything related to her.

But he didn't want to think: he didn't want to deal with the disgust and guilt that pervaded him any time he let his thoughts drift back to what had happened, and he felt simply too drained for rage. He felt numb, and he had never welcomed numbness that much before.

His numbness, however, was shattered by a yapping noise. Sheldon glanced down to see Mimi trying to climb on the couch as well, whining, trying to lick his face. "Hi there," he muttered, his voice a little hoarse. He reached down to pull her on the couch next to him. Mimi waved her tail for a few moments, then she seemed to realize he was not in the mood, for she fell quiet and curled against him, nuzzling under his chin with a soft whine.

For the first time after what felt like years, Sheldon smiled a little. His hand reached to scratch the small dog's head. "I'll get you a snack in a minute, alright?" he muttered. Mimi licked his face, and his weak smile widened a little. "Good girl," he muttered.

"Sheldon? Are you alright?"

He recoiled and turned to see his mother had gotten back home and was standing a few feet from him, looking at him worriedly – he hadn't even heard her getting back, he mused as Mimi jumped off the couch to welcome her back. "Sure," he said a little weakly, forcing himself to not turn his gaze away from her with some effort "I'm fine. Just…tired," he added, realizing it didn't happen every day that his mother found him lying on the couch like an old man taking an afternoon nap. It had never happened, really.

Theresa frowned a little as she approached. "You're a little pale," she said, reaching to put a hand on his forehead "and you're cold," she added, looking at him closer.

Sheldon bit his lower lip – numb as he was, he hadn't even realized how…_cold_ he was: his skin felt icy. He shrugged as if it was nothing. "I don't feel that well, really, but it's nothing worrying. It could be something I ate," he lied, barely daring to look up at her "maybe it was the fast food I went to yesterday. I'll be fine."

His mother sighed and shook her head. "You should know better than eating that rubbish," she said, the nurse in her kicking in "you know it can upset your stomach."

Sheldon swallowed. "It won't happen again," he said uncomfortably – for some reason, his mother's worries about him made him feel even guiltier and disgusted of himself. What would his mother think of him, of _them_, if she only knew…? "Mom?" he called out somewhat uncertainly, his voice unusually weak.

"Yes?"

"I…what would you think if I told you I did something I shouldn't have done?" he asked awkwardly, a part of his mind screaming for him to shut his mouth before he blurted everything out, but he ignored it. As much as he dreaded the mere idea she could find out what had happened the previous night, there was a part of him that longed to know she wouldn't look at him in disgust, no matter what he – _they_ – had done.

The expression on her mother's face grew even more concerned. "Something you shouldn't have done?" she repeated.

"It was nothing illegal or something," Sheldon quickly reassured her, but he felt like he had just swallowed ice as he realized that what he and Betty had done most likely _was_ illegal. A victimless crime, maybe, but still a crime. "Really, it isn't. I'm not in trouble. It's just…" he paused, unable to speak and mentally cursing himself for starting to speak in the first place.

Theresa frowned as she noticed how trouble her son looked, then her expression softened as she sat on the couch next to him, a hand reaching out to stroke his hair as she always did to calm him down when he was a kid and as she had done later, when he had lost his hand. "You can tell me, I'll listen."

Sheldon closed his eyes, leaning his head on his mother's lap – it was comforting beyond words, and he didn't even care about how utterly pathetic he had to seem right now, like a little child with a scratched knee seeking for comfort by his mother. No one was looking after all.

"Sheldon?" his mother called out, bringing him back to reality – she was still waiting for him to tell her what was wrong, and he knew he would never be able to tell her what had really happened. He shut his eyes, thinking back of what Betty had said that morning.

_I'll carry it to the grave – you better do the same._

He hesitated; maybe his mother wouldn't be disgusted of him if he told her, maybe she wouldn't love him any less…but he knew he'd never be able to stand her gaze again. Still, he had begun speaking and he had to at least say _something_. "I…" he hesitated "if I told you I did something…that everyone thinks is wrong…?" he paused and swallowed, unable to go on.

"Oh," was all Theresa said before falling silent. Her hand stopped stroking his hair, and for a moment Sheldon felt terrified – what if she had guessed…?

"Mom?" he called, almost fearing the answer.

His mother blinked and glanced down at him again, then she smiled a little as her hand resumed stroking his hair. "I understand," she said softly "I supposed I should have guessed before."

He stiffened – had she really understood what had happened? Had she _heard_ them the previous night? "You do…?" was all he managed to utter, his throat tightening.

"Yes – but I want you to know I don't think there is anything wrong with you. If anyone says otherwise, don't listen to them. There is nothing wrong with it."

Now it was Sheldon's turn to be confused – he honestly doubted she would have reacted that calmly if she really had guessed what it was that bothered him. "Uh?"

"If that's how you feel, it's fine with me – you don't have to worry. I don't care who you're with just as long as I know you're be happy. You know I'll always be by your side, don't you?"

…_wait._

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"I'm not gay."

Theresa blinked. "You're not?" she asked, sounding both surprised and relieved – she wasn't lying when she said she simply didn't care as long as he was happy, but she knew many people out there _would_ have issues, and the thought of all the trouble her son could have to face because of them had obviously worried her.

"No!" Sheldon protested, looking up at her "what made you think I was anyway?"

She shrugged, smiling a little sheepishly. "Nothing, really, but you seemed so worried…well, I jumped to the wrong conclusion, I guess. "

"Yeah, definitely," Sheldon made a face, even though he couldn't help but think that it would have still been better if she was right – at least he would know he wasn't the only one, he would know there was nothing _wrong_ with him, just like he knew there was nothing wrong with Jack. But sleeping with his own sister, his _twin_ sister…it was just sickening, and immoral, and _wrong_, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what could happen should anyone ever find out. He shuddered at the thought and instinctively hid his face in his mother's lap again, his eyes tightly shut. "Mom?" he called.

Theresa resumed stroking his hair. "Yes?"

_Thank you for saying you wouldn't care._

"…nothing."

* * *

"Betty, aren't you feeling well?"

Betty winced as her mother spoke, snapping her from her troubled thoughts. She glanced up from her plate – she had been absentmindedly staring at her omelette for a while – to see Theresa worriedly looking at her. "I'm fine," she said, trying her best to fake a smile that didn't reach her eyes and forcing herself to not turn away from her mother's gaze. If she only knew…! She had to hold back a shudder at the thought, her stomach clenching. "I'm not very hungry, that's all."

"Maybe you're a little sick," her mother insisted "you look pale. Sheldon isn't feeling well either – did you eat in the same fast-food yesterday?" she inquired, a scolding note in her voice. Sheldon had told her he was still feeling unwell and had gone to sleep earlier without even dining, which could only mean he felt _really_ unwell. How many times did she have to tell them they shouldn't eat that rubbish?

Betty nodded, relieved that she had been given a good excuse on a silver platter. She doubted she would be able to think of anything convincing, and the mere thought her mother could realize there was something wrong terrified her. "Yeah, I did," she shrugged "not a good idea, I know."

"Next time you could try to realize it _before_ you eat that stuff," Theresa chided her, but she didn't seem really angry. She glanced at her daughter a little more closely and she noticed the dark rings under her eyes. "You better go to get some sleep. You look tired."

Betty barely managed to keep herself from shuddering at the thought of getting back in their room with her brother, and her grip on the fork tightened for a few instants before she could get a grip on herself. As she spoke again, however, her voice was perfectly calm despite the turmoil of emotions that she could feel boiling in her chest. "I have some stuff I study," she lied "I'll go to sleep after I' done."

Theresa seemed sceptical. "It doesn't seem the best moment to study to me," she pointed out "especially when you're not feeling well."

"Don't worry, it will only take a few minutes. Half an hour at most," she reassured her.

Of course, it wasn't true: it took her two hours to finally stop staring at the same page of her book, and she only did so because her mother had threatened to throw it from a window if she didn't put it down and just went to sleep.

Betty didn't allow herself to stop and think for one single instant as she got ready to go to bed: she was sure she would go insane if she did. She changed in some old pajamas – she usually wore a nightgown, but now she wanted more than anything to be shielded as much as she could from her brother's sight – and stood in front of the door of their room for what felt like an eternity without finding the courage to open it even though the lights were off and no sound came from inside. She couldn't bear looking at her brother again, she couldn't bear the _thought_ of having to share the same room again…still, what choice did she have?

She drew in a deep breath and finally opened the door, trying to not make a sound. She relaxed just a little as she saw a lump under the sheets of the upper bunk: Sheldon was sleeping already, or he was pretending to – he looked a little too stiff for someone who's sleeping. Not that she really _cared_ as long as she didn't have to speak to him: at least she could just pretend he wasn't even there. She closed the door and took a step forward, then she hesitated, her gaze fixed on the lower bunk.

For a moment before she could make herself stop thinking about what had happened there just the previous night she shuddered, her lips trembling just a little. She had changed the sheets, of course, but the very thought of having to lie down on that same mattress made her want to scream or run away, or both.

She eventually did neither – how could she explain to her mother her behaviour without her finding out what the reason was? – and she finally forced herself to lay down, her insides tied in a knot, trying with all her might to not let her thoughts drift to the previous night in that very same room, on that very same bed. She shut her eyes tightly, ignoring the sound of Sheldon's breathing, desperately wishing she were back in college and a thousand miles away from her twin.


	11. Mending

Betty had promised herself that she would be strong, she had promised herself that she wouldn't break down again, but apparently that was a promised that she hadn't been able to keep. She had hoped she would feel better once she would be away from her twin, but she had been wrong – now it was even worse. It was worse because she didn't have her mother's presence to remind her she was to behave as if nothing had happened, because she couldn't find solace from her own shame and disgust through her rage to Sheldon.

Not that her anger towards him had vanished – she still wished, deep inside, that he was just as miserable as she was. But not even that thought could make her feel any better, not even that could keep her from breaking down any time she allowed herself to think of what had happened barely a couple of weeks earlier.

It was like all her self-control was gone, and that morning she had once again found herself crying in the bathroom just because she had seen the picture of Sheldon she still had in her wallet. She had opened it to take some coins, and seeing her brother's face staring at her had been simply too much: she had barely been able to get into the bathroom before sobs began wracking her chest, before he could wake up her roommate. She had broken down the very same moment she closed the door behind herself, and not even viciously ripping her brother's photo made her feel any better.

It seemed like _nothing_ could ever make her feel any better. Maybe she just didn't deserve to, Betty thought bitterly as she kept crying, her tears falling on the sink as she tried to hold back her sobs so Dakota wouldn't hear her, clad in an oversized sweater – she couldn't bring herself to wear anything that didn't shied almost completely her body from sight.

She swallowed and raised her gaze, but when she saw her own face looking back at her through a mist of tears an intense sense of loathing hit her, making her sob harder. Despair, confusion, denial, anguish, self-loathing, hatred and, most worrying of all, an utter helplessness, as if he had already given up on everything, were written all over her face.

She abruptly turned away, and her gaze fell on the sewing kit Dakota kept in the bathroom to occasionally re-attach some lost button and stuff like that. She stared at it for a few moments, still sobbing, the guilt and self-loathing making her feel like she was about to choke. She turned to glance at her reflection for just an instant, her hands balling into tight fist at the fresh wave of hatred to her brother and herself that hit her.

Then she reached for the scissors.

* * *

Fine, Jack thought with a frown, that was it – he had had enough. Sheldon's behaviour was worrying to say the least. He had known something wasn't quite right for a while, but now it looked like things had gotten drastically worse throughout that summer. Sheldon just didn't seem to be himself anymore since when they had gotten back the previous week - he seemed to have just gone insane. Just what the hell was up with him?

"Aren't you supposed to have some class right now?" Jack asked, looking straight at him and trying to ignore the empty cans of beer on the ground next to Sheldon's bed. His friend was sitting on the edge of the bed, his shoulders slumped, his empty gaze foxed on the ground…and it wasn't even ten in the morning, Jack thought, uneasily biting his lower lip.

Sheldon didn't even turn to look at him. "It's nothing important. I can skip it for once," he replied flatly, ignoring the fact it wasn't the first lesson he skipped and that it _was _important and reaching to take another can of beer. But he didn't even have the time to open it before Jack stepped forward and snatched it from his hand.

"Don't be an idiot, you _know _it is important!" he snapped "I don't know what the hell is wrong with you, but this insanity has to stop. You must snap out of--" he trailed off and took a step back as Sheldon growled and got up, taking a menacing step towards him, a scowl on his face.

"There is nothing wrong with me," he barked, staggering just a little – the beer was making him feel somewhat dizzy already, but it wasn't enough. He needed to feel _numb_, and even that would probably never be enough, but it would still be a relief. He needed _relief_.

"Nothing wrong?" Jack repeated, looking at him in disbelief. He was pale, his hair and clothes – the same clothes he was wearing the previous days, since he hadn't even taken off for the night – dishevelled, with dark shadows under bloodshot eyes, unable to walk without staggering. "How can you say nothing's wrong?" he asked, suddenly feeling furious other than worried "look at yourself, you idiot – you're pitiful!"

Sheldon fumed. "Who the _hell_ to you think you are to tell me what I should do?" he shouted, reaching to grab the can again, but he stumbled forward and he had to lean on the desk to not fall.

"I'm your friend, I suppose – which makes me unwilling to watch you flush your own life down a toilet," Jack snapped, and Sheldon was taken aback by how angry he looked: he couldn't remember ever seeing him actually angry over anything. "What in the world _happened_ to you?"

Sheldon's face turned crimson with anger. "Nothing happened!" he nearly screamed "_nothing_!"

"Then would you _mind_ telling me what makes you think that skipping classes, drinking without restraint and staying out all night any time you have money left is a good idea? Your grades will go down in no time – you could end up losing the scholarship! I thought you had more brains than this!"

"I don't have to explain anything to you!" Sheldon growled "now give me back--" he trailed off as Jack abruptly threw the can back at him. He raised his hand to catch it, but he was unable to focus properly, and the can slipped from his grip and fell on the ground, clattering.

"Fine," Jack said coldly, no trace of his usual accommodating self in his words "if you have so little self-respect left, there isn't much I can do for you. Let me know if you grow a brain again – until that moment, I'd rather ask you to keep your pitiful self out of my sight. Because you know what? It _hurts_ watching you like this," he said harshly before walking out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Sheldon stood there for a long time, his gaze fixed on the door, saying nothing, then he sighed heavily, dropped his shoulders and bent to pick up the can. He emptied it in just a few gulps before he let himself slide on the ground, his back resting against the wall, his gaze empty.

Then he reached for another can.

* * *

Dakota frowned, impatiently tapping her foot as she glanced at the door. She freaked out pretty often about a lot of things, but she usually wasn't one to freak out because she was late – she was always late anyway, so what was the point?

Still, this time she was _really_ late. What was taking Betty so much anyway? She usually didn't stay in the bathroom much in the morning. Actually, she never really was in the bathroom when Dakota needed it, since she had the habit of getting up very early to go jogging before classes began: why was she still locked up there now?

"Betty, you've been in there forever!" Dakota finally called out, knocking at the door "I need that bathroom too, you know!" She expected her roommate to at least reply, either to say she was about to get out and to stop being a pain or to tell her she was almost done, but no answer came. Dakota frowned a little. "Betty?" she called out again "are you okay?"

No answer again, and Dakota felt a sudden pang of concern. "Hey, say something!" she exclaimed, knocking again "is everything--" she trailed off, her eyes widening as she finally heard something coming from inside…some kind of muffled noises. She needed a few minutes to realize what it was, and once she did her concern turned into something close to panic.

Sobs.

And if someone like Betty cried, Dakota mused, something had to be very, _very _wrong. "Betty, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

There were a few instants of silence, though Dakota could have sworn she had heard a sniffling noise before Betty replied, her voice still somewhat shaky despite her clear efforts to sound normal. "Yes, I'm fine. Just…give me a moment," Betty said, taking another deep breath before she splashed some water on her face and forced herself to look into the mirror again, trying to ignore the disgust that assaulted her any time she saw her own reflection.

She immediately regretted it, along with her own weakness: there was no way she could hide the fact she had been crying now – her reddened and swollen eyes made it clear enough. She sighed and turned to the door, getting ready to come up with some excuse. It wouldn't be difficult, she told herself as she took in a deep breath and unlocked the door. She just needed to keep a hold on herself and stay lucid.

Dakota blinked as she saw her. "What happened?" she asked worriedly, her gaze fixed on Betty's reddened eyes "are you alright? No, wait, of course you're not. Are you sick? Do you need a doctor? Did someone hurt you?" she asked, and it took all Betty's willpower to not flinch.

_Yes, someone hurt me. In the worst way imaginable._

"No," she croaked, and she was almost scared by her own voice. She cleared her throat, trying to ignore how Dakota's frown had deepened. "I'm fine, really. It was…just a moment. I'm doing better now. The bathroom I all yours," she said, trying to step past her and end the conversation.

Fat chance.

"Wha…? Betty, your hair! What happened?" Dakota exclaimed as she noticed that the short braid Betty usually tied her hair into was gone, as if it had just been chopped away. She glanced down to see the braid in her roommate's hand – she really had just cut off her hair. But why would she do that?

Betty bit her lower lip. She had hoped Dakota wouldn't notice…then again, she supposed t would be kind of hard to miss, and she hadn't even stopped to think before grabbing those scissors and cutting off her hair. It had been and instinctive gesture that she couldn't quite explain – it was like she had thought looking at herself could be more bearable if she didn't have to be reminded of how Sheldon's fingers had tangled in her hair that blasted night. "I…just grew tired of that braid," she said, fully knowing it was a lame excuse but completely unable to think of anything better right away "I wanted to…try something different."

Dakota raised an eyebrow. "By cutting off your braid with a pair of scissors while in the middle of a breakdown?" she asked, and Betty couldn't help but think that it was very worrying that Dakota would be the one to point out how something she had said simply made no sense: things usually worked the other way around. "Look, if something's wrong…"

"Nothing's wrong," Betty said a little too sharply than she meant to, throwing the braid in the trash can with a grimace before turning back to her with a forced smile "look, we're both going to be late for classes if we don't--" she trailed off as Dakota threw her coat at her.

"Forget it, no classes today," she said "now you put on that coat. I'm going to freshen up a little and I'll be back in a couple of minutes. Then I'll put on my coat, and we'll go to get ice cream. Lots of ice cream. With chocolate syrup. _Lots _of chocolate syrup. Is that clear?"

It took Betty a few instants to realize that Dakota was really giving her _orders_. She normally disliked being ordered around by anyone of her own age, but now she was too stunned to protest too vehemently. "I told you, I'm fine," she tried "it's nothing--"

"Great, then we'll talk about nothing. Or everything. Or whatever we can think of – but we're taking a day off and you're going to eat ice cream until we get sick. And this afternoon I'm going to drag you to that hair stylist just outside the campus to see if he can do something for that mess you made with your hair – it would be great if you at least stopped looking like someone mowed your head. We're going in five minutes," she announced, stepping into the bathroom and closing the door behind herself.

"But…"

"Five minutes!"

Betty seemed too dumbstruck to do anything but standing there and waiting for Dakota to come back out.

* * *

"Here," Dakota said, pushing the cup – the biggest cup of ice cream Betty had ever seen, nearly drowned in chocolate syrup - across the table "all work for your stomach."

Betty blinked. "Are you kidding? I can't eat it all, it's larger than my head!" she protested.

"Oh, don't worry – I'm helping you out with this," Dakota said with a shrug before taking a spoonful of ice cream "not get to work before it melts!" she said, her mouth full.

"Alright, fine," Betty said with a sigh, reaching for her own spoon even though she knew there was no way she could eat half of that. Then again, she had to admit it did taste great, she thought as she took a spoonful.

"I told you that it would make you feel better," Dakota said with a smile, not even minding the chocolate smudged around her mouth as she saw her roommate taking another spoonful "so, what was that about?"

Betty felt her blood chilling – she should have known she would ask again. She drew in a deep breath, fully knowing she couldn't allow herself to break down now. She had to sound perfectly normal. "It was nothing important," she finally said quietly, her gaze fixed on the ice cream "just…some trouble back home," she said, and she suddenly felt like biting off her tongue…still, it was like words had slipped off against her own will. She clenched her jaw, reminding herself to be careful to what she said: the mere thought anyone could find out was enough to make her stomach turn. She put down the spoon.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that," Dakota was saying "I hope…I mean…nobody died, right?" she asked, looking at her worriedly.

_Oh, I wish!_

Betty bit her tongue just in time before actually uttering those words – no matter how much she had grown to loathe her brother, that was…simply too much. "No," she said "I just…had a fight with my brother," she said, her stomach clenching at the mere thought of Sheldon – but now she could at least feel anger against him once again, and that made her feel somewhat better.

"Ouch, it sucks when you fight with your siblings, uh?" Dakota mad a face "but you told me you fight all the time, so it should be normal. Was it _that _bad?"

_You have no idea._

"Yes," Betty almost snarled, her hand gripping the spoon again with such strength that her knuckles.

"So, I take it you didn't ask him if he's single, uh?" Dakota said, trying to joke a little, but she winced as Betty nearly shouted.

"He's someone you should stay well _away _from. I don't want to see him ever again! I wish I didn't have to get back home at all…!" she trailed off and took a deep breath, trying to calm down and reminding herself she wasn't supposed to lose control like that.

Dakota blinked. Alright, now that sounded bad. She had four siblings and not a day passed by without at least an argument happening, but none of them had ever held such grudge to each other – they usually forgot they even had an argument by dinner…! "What happened?"

Betty shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it," she said sharply, and it took her an awful effort to soften her voice – after all, Dakota was just trying to help her out somehow "but thanks."

"You're welcome. Hey, take some more ice cream, I can't finish it all," she said, and Betty took another spoonful "anyway, if you don't want to get home, you could come to stay at my place for the holidays."

Betty blinked. "What?"

"Really, I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind. We're a lot of people living together, so one more won't be a problem. My siblings are kind of a pain sometimes, but I bet you'd like my cousin – she's the one who always gets me ice cream when I'm down. Okay, Amy is a little weird sometimes, but she's fun to--"

"Hey, wait," Betty raised her hands to stop her chattering, faintly wondering just _how_ weird could her cousin Amy be if someone like Dakota described her as such "there is…no need for that, really," she forced herself to smile "I don't want to bother you, and I want to see my mother and friends back home during holidays," she added, and it was true "thanks a lot for the offer anyway."

"Oh, okay," Dakota shrugged "but the offer is still valid, you know. I'll leave you the number before Christmas, so you can call any moment."

Betty smiled again, and this time her smile was more genuine and less forced: the fact Dakota would really be ready to welcome her in her house made her feel somewhat better. "I'll keep it in mind, thank you," she said, absentmindedly taking another spoonful of ice cream, but she already knew that she wasn't going to make that call. She would spend the holidays home, as always: no matter how sickening the thought of having to spend time with her brother again was, she wouldn't let him take _that – _her mother, her friends, her_ life – _away from her.

Never.

* * *

Jack honestly didn't know what to expect when he opened the door to get back in the room. There was a part of him that hoped his roommate had realized he was only hurting himself, but he had his doubts: Sheldon was too thick-headed for his own good, he mused before finally stepping inside. Much to his surprise, the room was empty except for the empty cans on the ground. Where in the world was that idiot? He couldn't have gotten out! If anyone saw him drunk in the campus, he risked--

His unusually pessimistic thoughts were interrupted by a sudden, harsh sound, and it didn't take much for him to recognize the unmistakable sound of someone throwing up. He turned to see Sheldon getting out from the bathroom, staggering.

"I knew I would end up looking at that toilet seat from a different perspective one day or another," he slurred, taking a few uncertain steps before collapsing on his bed. He closed his eyes, his head pounding.

"How charming," Jack said dryly, but there was a trace of concern in his voice "how do you feel now?"

"Head hurts," was all Sheldon managed to mutter, his face pressed against the pillow.

"I'm afraid that's a common side effect when you're trying to kill yourself through alcohol poisoning."

"You're not helping."

"Would an ice pack help?"

"Definitely."

Jack sighed. "I'll be right back – don't move."

"It's not like I was planning a walk trip around the campus," was the reply, but he had already left. Sheldon groaned as he managed to roll on his back, trying to ignore the wave of nausea. He had never been a heavy drinker, and he definitely wasn't able to deal with is effects as well as he had thought – he wasn't even able to think anymore. Then again, wasn't that exactly the reason why he had been drinking, to stop thinking? He shook with anger as a wave of fresh hatred towards his sister washed over him. "It's all her fault," he snarled to no one in particular "it's all her fault!"

"I take it there is someone else to blame for your current state? Aside from your own stupidity, I mean."

Sheldon opened his eyes, grimacing at the violent light, and he blinked. "Are you the one on the right or the one on the left?"

Jack sighed. "Seeing double?"

"Yeah."

"Close your eyes and hold still then," was all Jack said before sitting on the edge of his bed and pressing an ice pack on his forehead. Sheldon sighed at the immediate relief.

"Thanks," he said quietly, closing his eyes.

"You're welcome. So, did you learn anything in these past few minutes?"

"Always keep some ice on the nightstand?"

Jack gave a nearly amused chuckle. "Not quite what I meant – it was more along the lines of 'drinking until you throw up is not a good idea', but we'll get to that later," he said before turning serious "so, who was it you were blaming for this?"

Sheldon's blood ran cold at the thought. "No one," he said quickly. Too quickly.

"You know, I _heard_ you. You claimed it was someone else's fault – a woman's, unless my ears deceive me."

"It was nothing."

"This doesn't seem like nothing to me," Jack pointed out, gesturing to the empty cans on the desk before glancing down at him again "what happened?"

Sheldon swallowed before opening his eyes to look at him. He didn't seem as furious as he was that morning – he simply looked concerned. "What makes you think anything happened?"

"Either that, or you went insane with no reason and decided to try flushing your life down a toilet just because you felt like it – I'm inclined to believe the first explanation though. Tell me what happened."

"Why should I?"

Jack shrugged before reaching for an empty can that had been left on the bed and throwing it away with a slightly disgusted expression. "Maybe it would make you feel better, don't you think?"

Sheldon gave an odd, joyless laugh. "You wouldn't even look at me if I told you," he slurred drunkenly, and for a moment he seemed almost scared by the thought "you'd ask to be moved in another room."

"That's what I thought when I told you about my…inclinations. But you didn't turn away from me – I won't either," Jack said as he kept the ice pack pressed on his forehead.

"It's not the same thing."

"Look, I don't know what you did, but I _do_ know that you were still willing to share a room with me after knowing something that would probably make half of the guys in this college avoid sitting at my same table for lunch and the other half snicker behind my back – if I was lucky, considering that people like me apparently happen to have _accidents_ quite often. Just tell me what happened, alright? I want to help, in case you didn't notice."

"I…" Sheldon took a deep breath, trying with very little success to clear his mind. All his senses were screaming for him to keep his mouth shout, but confiding someone the reason why he could barely stand looking at himself in the mirror suddenly felt awfully tempting, as if it could help him to get rid of the weight that seemed to have settled on his stomach. "You must promise you won't tell anyone," he heard himself saying despite his best judgement as he glanced up at him. "You must _promise_…!"

Jack nodded. "You have my word," he said quietly.

And, almost without realizing it, Sheldon began to speak. While thinking about it again even years later, he would be hardly able to believe just how easily words had left his mouth, and he would just think it had been because of the alcohol that had loosened his inhibitions…that, and the fact he had known Jack wouldn't judge him. Or, at least, he had hoped he wouldn't – as much as he hated to admit it, he knew he had been on the brink of a mental breakdown back then: should Jack turn his back to him, he probably couldn't have managed to put himself back together. And, the few times he allowed himself to wonder about Betty's feelings for the whole thing, he would wonder if she had some support too or if she had managed to move on by herself.

Jack, on the other hand, didn't even interrupt him once: he just stayed silent until he finished speaking, his expression unreadable, then he slowly nodded. "I see," he finally said "but I still don't think it's a good reason to give up on yourself like this. You'll only manage to ruin your life if you keep going like this."

"Are you deaf or what? She's my _sister_! I slept with my sister!" Sheldon nearly yelled, glancing up at him with an odd look of disgust and shame. He tried to get up, but his head spun, making him slump back against Jack. "My own _sister_, Jack!"

"Yes, I'm pretty sure you already informed me of that detail."

Sheldon growled. "You're not funny."

"I'm not trying to be funny to begin with: I'm trying see it from a logical point of view. You might have done something stupid…"

"That's the understatement of the century," Sheldon said bitterly.

"…but this is _not_ the right way to set things right. It happened, and that's something you can't change. Get over it and move on."

"How in the world do you manage to be so darn rational on this? You don't know what it's like knowing that…you have no idea!" he gritted his teeth, his eyes tightly shut.

"No, I don't – which is exactly the reason why I can be rational about it. You should be too."

"I can't."

Jack sighed. "I know. I suppose you haven't tried to talk about it with her?" he asked, pressing the ice back on his forehead.

"_What_? Never!" Sheldon suddenly shouted, ignoring how his head was starting to ache again "I don't want to talk to her about anything at all! I don't want to see her ever again in my _life_! It all happened because of her!"

"But you'll have to see her again sooner or later."

"Don't remind me," he grunted, then he took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Fine, now you know everything," he finally said, glancing up at him again "disgusting, isn't it? If you want to move in another room--"

"Oh, quit it – I'm not going anywhere."

"Don't tell me it doesn't even bother you! I slept with my own --"

"Yes, thank you, I got the point by now," Jack retorted "but as you might have noticed, I'm not your sister – I don't see why I should leave. And if you're feeling masochistic enough to try getting a speech about morality or something close out of me, you can keep waiting until your hair turn white," he added, causing Sheldon to emit a snort that nearly sounded remarkably like a laughter as he leant his head more comfortably on Jack's knees – it was more comfortable for Jack to keep the ice pressed on his forehead that way, and keeping his head up helped him to not feel too nauseous.

"I'm pathetic, uh?"

"No, you're not."

"Don't even _try_ to patronize me!"

"Fine, you are pathetic," Jack said dryly, removing the ice from his forehead "feeling better? Your head, I mean."

"Yeah, kind of. But I think I'll keep the ice for another while."

"No problem," was Jack's reply as he leant more comfortably against the wall and put the ice back on his forehead.

"I can keep it on my head myself, you know. I've still got one hand."

"No, you would drop it in a minute. Besides, I made myself rather comfortable here, you know."

"Riiight," Sheldon slurred "no tricks if I pass out, okay?"

"_Excuse_ me?" Jack said icily, his posture stiffening, and Sheldon realized he had gone too far "do you really think I could ever sink low enough to take advantage a situation like this?"

"Wha…? No, of course not!" he protested "I was just…it was a stupid joke, okay? I'm sorry. Honest," he said. He usually didn't apologize, and never that quickly, but his mind was a blur and he knew he had just said something rather offensive, and last thing he needed was having Jack mad at him right after he told him what had happened between him and his sister.

Had he been less confused Sheldon would have probably realized Jack hadn't even tried to deny any attraction to him, but blurred as his mind was he probably wouldn't have realized much of anything unless he got a drawing to go with it. "You better be," Jack muttered, but his outraged expression had softened already "but if it makes you uncomfortable…" he paused as Sheldon shook his head, nearly making the ice pack fall off.

"No, stay. You make a great pillow."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why, I'm flattered. I have to admit I hadn't heard that yet."

Sheldon shrugged. "You have now," he opened his eyes again "hey, thanks for…you know…"

Jack cut him off by waving his hand. "Don't mention it."

"It wasn't my fault," he insisted, and Jack realized he wasn't actually speaking to him anymore, not really – he was mostly speaking to himself, trying to convince himself of what he was saying. "You have no idea…I don't know what she did to make me, but--"

"Sheldon, I seriously doubt she could _make_ you…"

"You weren't there," he cut him off "I didn't…I couldn't think. I couldn't think at all, and she took advantage of it. I know she did," he rambled "it was her fault, it was all her fault, I swear…"

"Alright, fine, it was her fault," Jack sighed. He still didn't think it was possible blaming only one of them for what had happened, and from what he had gathered it was easy to guess his sister had to be just as upset and disgusted by what had happened…but he doubted Sheldon would be willing to admit his share of responsibility. Not now, at least: for now, he was doing the most reassuring thing to do – blaming someone else. He could only hope he would come to his senses sooner or later.

"Sure it was," Sheldon was slurring "and she wanted to blame me, you see. She always tried to blame me…for everything. My _perfect_ little sister. And I hate her, you know. I hate her so much."

"Fine, enough talking," Jack said somewhat sternly "you're drunk and you're only talking nonsense. Now sleep."

"Her fault," Sheldon mumbled incoherently again "her fault…"

"I said _sleep_. If I hear another word from you before you sober up I'm going to show the ice pack in that stupid mouth of yours, alright?"

A slight snoring sound was the only reply he got. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"…well, that was quite fast," he muttered, removing the ice pack from his forehead – not that there was much ice left by now anyway, just cold water. He wasn't quite sure if Sheldon had fallen asleep or had passed out, but either way he was getting some much needed rest and he wasn't going to deprive him of that by waking him up to move. He sighed as he leant back against the wall and closed his eyes, trying to get some sleep as well and getting ready to a very uncomfortable night.

When he woke up the next day with an epic backache Sheldon was already up, throwing away all the cans of beer – both the empty ones and the ones that were still full. Jack would never see him drinking again like that until the end of college, nor he would see him skipping classes: from that moment on, Sheldon would continue his studies with the fierce determination of someone who wants to prove something to himself.

They never spoke a word about the accident again.


	12. Until somebody loses an eye

_A/N: phew, this chapter was hell to write. Now I remember why it was the only one I couldn't get written beforehand - I just didn't know how to handle it. It turned out to be r__ather sketchy and somewhat rushed, but if I tried to write it in any other way it turned out twice as long and incredibly boring, so I decided to keep it this way._

_Anyway, this is the last chapter set in the past. The next one, and the others that will follow, will be set directly after the "Ron Factor" episode._

_

* * *

_

_Are you sure you're read to face him?_

_No, I'm not. But I have to._

_It's not going to be easy. You know that, don't you?_

Betty sighed, shutting her eyes as she leant a little more comfortably against the seat. Yes, she knew that it was going to be hell, but what choice did she have? She couldn't just refuse to come back home during holidays without anyone thinking something was wrong…and, on the other hand, she didn't want to give up on everything she had back home just because of _him_. She had her mother there, and her friends, and…pretty much everyone she knew. She would just try to focus on what she had of good left and try to ignore her brother.

Until she could go living on her own – and then, she wouldn't have to meet him all the time anymore. The thought made her feel a little better: if everything went well, she wasn't going to have to keep up with him for much longer, and then everything would get bett--

"Mom, look, the pilot!" a kid – who had been complaining about pretty much everything he could think of for most of the flight, much to Betty's annoyance – suddenly exclaimed, snapping Betty from her thoughts. She turned just in time to see the pilot rushing past the seats and to the toilet, shutting the door behind himself.

"What…?" she muttered, frowning, and it looked like the other passengers were just as puzzled as she was.

"It's alright! The pilot is feeling sick, but there is nothing to worry about…!" a hostess nearly yelled and the hysterical note in her voice denied her words – and even is she had managed to stay perfectly calm, the fact the plane suddenly tilted on one side like a toy in a child's hands was more than enough to show everyone that _nothing_ was alright.

"Are we without a pilot? Are we flying _without a pilot_?" a man nearly screamed.

The hostess waved her hands. "No, we're not!" she tried to reassure them "we still have the co-pilot…!"

"But he's _not_ a co-pilot at all!" another hostess had just emerged from the head of the plane, looking horribly pale "he's not! He's just the pilot's nephew, and he has no idea of what he should do!"

"_What_?" Betty breathed, barely able to wrap her mind around the idea that someone who had all those people's lives in his hands had been reckless enough to bring his nephew with him in place of a co-pilot, as if it were some kind of pleasure trip. How _could_ something like that happen…?

There was only a moment of stunned silence, then everyone in the plane began to panic despite the hostess' desperate attempts to tell them to stay calm – and things got even worse as the lights began to flicker. Some passengers paled and slumped on their seats, some children began crying, most of the other passengers began screaming all at once.

"What's happening?"

"Are we going to crash?"

"We're going to die! We're all going to die!"

"Someone do _something_!"

"Please, don't move from your seats!" one of the hostesses cried out, trying with very little success to be heard in the chaos "just sit back and buckle your seatbelts…!"

_Yeah, because that is going to be so incredibly useful should this plane actually crash._

The sudden, horrible thought that flashed through Betty's mind made the numbness she had felt until that moment disappear, only leaving one thought – something had to be done. Someone had to do _something_. It was dreadfully clear that the pilot was in no shape to do anything, the co-pilot wasn't even a pilot and the hostesses had just no idea of what they should do…and she refused, just _refused_ to die and let other people meet the same fate because some idiot had eaten something rotten before a flight and had decided to bring his nephew along in place of a competent pilot.

Betty's hand shot out to grab the hostess' wrist. "Can you at least contact the control tower, or it's too much to ask?" she nearly snarled, getting up from her seat and glaring death at the quickly panicking woman.

"I…yes, of course. But we don't have a pilot, and I don't know what I have to do, and--" she wailed, but Betty cut her off.

"Them contact them and lead me to the cockpit."

"But…" the hostess blabbered "what could you _do_?"

"I don't know. Probably nothing, but I see no one else doing anything useful, if there is once chance in a million that it could work I'd rather give it a try than sitting here and waiting to die like a mouse in a trap. Now _lead me to the cockpit_."

The hostess opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, and then she finally just shut it and turned to walk to the cockpit. Finally, Betty thought, getting up to follow her through the chaos without stopping to think one single instant about what she was getting herself into. She was afraid she would freak out or faint if she allowed herself to, and in that case the chances she could do something useful went from one in a billion to less than zero.

* * *

Months had passed much more quickly than he would have wanted, Sheldon mused as he forced himself to smile and return his mother's hug. But at least, Betty wouldn't be there before another couple of hours: he had some time to spend alone with his mother, some time to try getting used to the idea he would have to cope with her presence once again. It was going to be hell, he already knew it; he could only hope those days passed quickly.

_And if the thought of spending a couple of weeks in her same house, let alone how much worse next summer is going to be. _

Sheldon shut his eyes, trying to chase away the thought. "Mom? You can let me go now," he said, trying to break free from her embrace without actually pushing her away. Even a hug from his mother made him fell uneasy now, because he knew he didn't deserve it. Had she known what he and Betty had done would break her, and thus he felt horribly guilty whenever she showed any kind of affection towards him or his sister – an affection he had always taken for granted, he thought with a grimace, faintly wondering what she would think of him if she only knew…

"My, it takes you very little to be embarrassed," Theresa chuckled, but she let go of him "how was the flight?"

Sheldon shrugged. "Fine, I guess. Kinda boring and there was some old guy who kept drooling while sleeping on the next seat, but it could be worse," he smiled a little "like that one time some kid threw up all over the first row."

"Oh, that. I'm still wondering how could you hold back from throwing the child outside," his mother laughed a little as she recalled how furious he sounded when he had called home once back to college right after the previous Christmas. "How about eating something? Betty's flight won't be here before a couple of hours, and I bet you're starving."

Even though he had been hungry, Sheldon felt his stomach turning at the mere mention of his sister. He was about to say he wasn't that hungry after all, then he changed his mind. He wouldn't _let_ her affect him like that, he thought angrily. "Sure," he said, grabbing his suitcase again "how about--"

Whatever he said next was suddenly covered by a woman's scream that caused everyone in the hall of the airport to turn to her and the steward she was apparently talking to. "What does it _mean_, an accident occurred?"

The poor guy swallowed. "Please, try to calm down – I'm sure everything--"

"Calm down? My husband is no that plane, so don't tell me to calm down! What the hell is happening?"

Everyone around them began speaking at once.

"An accident?"

"On a plane?"

"How?"

"What had happened?"

"On _what_ plane…?"

The steward sighed, raising his hands in a desperate attempt to make them keep quiet so he could speak. "A…problem occurred on the flight from Springwood. Apparently, the pilot is no longer in the conditions to keep piloting, but I can assure we're in constant contact and we're doing out best…"

Sheldon suddenly felt as if he had just swallowed ice. The flight from Springwood – that was the flight Betty was onto. What the hell was happening? _How_ could that happen? He opened his mouth as if to say something, but he found himself unable to out any thought together, let alone to utter once single word. He recoiled as he felt an icy hand gripping his only one, and he glanced down to see his mother, paler and more terrified than he had ever seen her.

"Betty is on that plane," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, apparently unable to think or say anything more.

"I…" Sheldon felt like his tongue was stuck on the roof of his mouth for a few instants "she'll be fine. I'm sure…they won't let anything happen," he said, barely realizing what the hell he was saying himself.

_What if the plane crashes? What if she dies?_

Despite all the grudge and hatred he felt for his sister, Sheldon couldn't even bring himself to think of that possibility. "She'll be fine," he repeated weakly, and when his mother held him in a tight embrace he didn't even react.

* * *

"Are you telling me you have _no experience at all _with planes?" the voice coming from the console sounded nearly hysterical "what the hell do you think you can do, girl? This is not some game! You'd only mess up!"

"I apparently have just as much experience as the…co-pilot here," Betty retorted, glancing in disgust at the guy who couldn't be one day older than she was and that had pretty much fainted on his seat "especially since he's not a pilot. The _only_ pilot we have is currently glued to the toilet, half of the hostesses have fainted, the other half are running in circles, the passengers are panicking and this darn plane is going to _crash_ if no one does anything. If someone messed up, it wasn't _me_ – and I couldn't make it worse than this not even if I tried, could I?" she snapped, trying to ignore her own sweaty palms.

The guy from the control tower seemed to hesitate. "But…isn't there anyone else…?"

"No, dammit, there _isn't_!" Betty barked "so you better do something useful and start giving some instructions, because _I don't want_ to be turned into strawberry jam!"

There was a brief silence on the other side. "Fine," the man finally said "are you on the pilot seat already?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now, if you look on your left…"

Betty glanced down at the console, and panic constricted her throat only for a second before she managed to shut her own mind off, trying to think about nothing at all but just following the instructions.

* * *

"…thanks to a college student…"

"…all passengers safe…"

"…could have turned into a tragedy…"

Betty shut her eyes, unable to even hear what reporters kept babbling in front of the cameras outside – she was unable to hear anything at all: her head was spinning too badly. She had been perfectly lucid until she had managed to somehow land the plane, but the very same moment she had tried to get up from the pilot seat the tension she had managed to ignore had hit her all at once, causing her stomach to turn and her knees to buckle. It had taken her a few minutes before she had dared to get up.

"Here," an officer said, handing a mug with some hot, steaming liquid in it "this will make you feel better."

"Thanks," Betty heard herself muttering before she sipped some of the hot cocoa, her grip around the mug relaxing just a little as she drew in a deep breath.

"We already contacted your mother – she's on her way," the officer added, then he smiled "she should be proud of you."

Betty blinked. "Proud?" she repeated. Over the past months, since after…what had happened with Sheldon, she had never felt anything but shame when she thought about her mother – she felt like she just didn't deserve any of her affection. The thought she should be proud of her for whatever reason sounded…odd. Still, it made her feel suddenly warmer.

"Sure. You should see the press out there. You're officially a heroine for at least the next couple of weeks, you know," he laughed "who wouldn't be proud? Those people would have died if you weren't there. You saved their lives."

Betty swallowed, saying nothing for a few moments, trying to figure out why did she suddenly felt an odd weightlessness, as if a weight had been lifted from her. Then the thought hit her – she felt fine, so much better than she had ever felt those months. She had saved people, she had done something good, something to be _proud_ of; for the first time after what felt like years, she felt fine about herself.

She glanced ahead to see a mirror on the opposite wall. Without even thinking, she got up from her seat and took a few steps forward, looking in the mirror, and for the first time in months she didn't feel repulsion for her own reflection. A weak smile curled her lips, but before she had the time to think of anything the door banged open.

"BETTY!"

She didn't even have enough time to turn – before she could even move her mother was already holding her in a bone-crushing embrace, half-sobbing and half-laughing with relief, unable to utter a coherent sentence. Then again, there was no need too. Betty just swallowed and returned her mother's embrace, her eyes tightly shut, unable to even picture how dreadfully scared she must have been.

For a few minutes neither of them paid any attention to Sheldon, nor he did anything to remind them of his presence. He just stood on the doorway, unmoving, staring at them with an emotionless, blank expression. The fact Betty had risked her life was something he just couldn't wrap his mind around – it seemed just so unreal. When he and their mother had been told what was going on, it had taken a few minutes to believe it – he still _didn't_ quite believe it.

He recoiled as Betty finally broke the embrace with their mother and saw him. They mutely stared at each other for a few instants, neither of them speaking: they didn't _know_ what to say. Betty searched his face for traces of relief, but she found none – just astonishment.

_You didn't expect me to be able to do something like this, did you?_

The thought made her suddenly feel better. She felt better about _herself_, and that was something he could never take away from her.

* * *

"Subject's name?"

"Elizabeth Director."

"Information?"

"Age twenty, law student. Top grades both in high school and college – she got a free scholarship because of her grades and her skills as a gymnast. She managed to make an emergency landing with a plane despite having no experience at all with such thing only with the instructions she got from the control tower. She was on the news all last week."

"Yes, I noticed. My daughter kept saying she wants to be like that when she grows up," the man brushed his uniform and chuckled before turning serious again "do you think she could make a good agent?"

"She seems to have everything that it takes. The question is, will she accept?"

"We'll find out pretty soon. Start our…recruitment operation as soon as possible."

A few people chuckled. "The usual, sir?"

"Of course, the usual. It always grants us quite a show, doesn't it?"

"Definitely. Sometimes I almost feel sorry for those newbies."

Everyone stopped working and glanced to the guy who had just spoken.

"…I said _almost_."

* * *

Fine, Betty thought, maybe the whole thing had its downturns. Knowing she had saved the lives of so many people was awesome and everything, it made her feel proud of herself and it made even having to stay in the same room with her brother almost bearable…but she wouldn't mind having the possibility of getting out of home without being followed by at last a camera or two, she thought with some annoyance as she glanced behind the corner.

Fine, those reporters seemed to be gone – it had taken a while to get them off her, but now she had managed to. Still, she probably better take a different route to get back home. Maybe, if she went through the park…

"Hey!" Betty let out a yelp as the ground opened – just…opened – beneath her feet, making her fall onto a cool, smooth surface. She blinked as she realized she was inside some kind of…tube that seemed made of glass. She got on her feet and glanced up to see its opening had just been sealed shut, preventing her from getting out "what the hell--"

She was trailed off as the…thing she was into suddenly began to fell at astonishing speed through some underground tubes system. She barely had enough time to wonder if she was going to be squashed _now_ that she escaped from a plane crash, then she tube suddenly turned aside, causing her to lose her balance and land against one of the glassy walls with a thud. "Ow!" she made a face at the stinging pain in her shoulder before the tube abruptly turned again and then went upwards, and then downwards again…and then it stopped.

The side of the tube she was sprawled onto opened with a hissing noise and she fell forward, hitting her elbows and knees on the hard steel floor. "Ouch!" she groaned, and she stayed still for a few instants before she dared to move, faintly thinking it would be a miracle if all her bones were still in one piece…

"Elizabeth Director, I suppose. Are you feeling well?" a voice asked somewhere above her, and she glanced up to see a man with greying hair and wearing some kind of uniform towering over her.

"No, I think I have a collapsed lung," she muttered, but she did get back on her feet and glanced around, but her gaze met nothing but steel walls "what…what happened? Where am I?"

"You were just, um, recruited. I'm Dr. Nathan Davis, the head of--"

"Recruited?" Betty repeated, faintly wondering if she hadn't hit her head too hard inside that…roller coaster thing.

The man chuckled a little. "Well, maybe our ways of recruitment are a little…traumatic, but that's beside the point. As for your other question, you're in the Global Justice headquarters."

"Ah," Betty stared at him for a few more instants, trying to figure out if the guy was serious or not…what if he were a lunatic or something? Still, he didn't seem dangerous – he was looking at her with a faint smirk, as if he had witnessed that same scene a thousand times before and still hadn't gotten tired of it. Finally, she managed to get her brain working again and spoke. "…Global _what_?"

"Global Justice," the man repeated patiently "and no, you never heard about it before. That's kind of the point with secret organizations, don't you think?"

Fine, now Betty was pretty sure she had just stumbled in the set of a spy movie or something like that. For a moment, her gaze actually wandered to see if she could spot any camera before she turned to the man again. "Secret organization?" she repeated "is this a _very_ late April's Fool?"

Dr. Davis chuckled. "My, kids these days – you don't believe a thing until you see get a proof, do you? When I was your age, I would have never thought of doubting anything an adult told me," he said, but he didn't seem bothered at all "then again, it is a lot to chew. What if I let you take a look around while I explain you exactly what the whole thing is about…?"

* * *

"And you want to accept, don't you?" Theresa said. It wasn't as much as a question as it was a statement, because it was clear her daughter was incredibly tempted to accept.

"Yes," Betty said "I mean…I asked some time to think about it. I would like to," she admitted. She would be getting more chances to help out people, and considering how good that made her feel…well, it seemed like a drug she wouldn't mind getting addicted to. It made her feel like she was still a good person, someone who people could look up at; and after all those months of intense self-loathing, it was quite a change. It could be a way to move on, she realized, a way to prove other people and herself that she could be proud of herself once again.

"I would start as a freelance agent," she went on "they'd basically contact me sporadically should they need assistance – they say it's the best way to see if I can fit that kind of lifestyle. I can decide to actually become an agent after this…trial time thing and after I'm done with college."

"I understand," Theresa pondered for a few moments "do you think you can manage to keep up with your studies if you accept?"

"I think so. If not, I was told they will pay for college themselves should I lose the scholarship."

"Well, that's convenient," her mother admitted, then she added quietly: "it could be dangerous, you know."

Betty bit her lower lip. "Yes, I know. But…I still would like to give it a try."

She wasn't sure how she had expected her mother to react, but she was relieved to see she just gave her a smile. "But of course, it's your choice," she said "just…be careful. I'm proud of you."

She didn't even realize how Sheldon – who had been sitting stiffly on the other side of the table, his gaze fixed on his dish for the whole time – winced at her words. So now she was proud of her, uh? Well, she wouldn't be if she _knew_ what had happened the previous summer…!

He gritted his teeth at the thought. Ever since they had gotten back home, everything seemed to revolve around Betty. Everyone – their mother, their friends, _everyone_ – just seemed to think she was made of gold or something! And now _this_ was the last straw: not only everyone thought she was some heroine, but she also got some kind of…job with a secret organization, her future already set, ready to move on while _he_ couldn't seem to be able to move on in any way.

The mere thought she was moving on with her life while he couldn't both scared and infuriated him, and he chose to focus on his fury. She thought she was so much better than he was, didn't she? Oh, sure, he _knew_ that was what she thought, his perfect little sister! But he would prove her wrong. He didn't know how, but he _would_ prove himself better.

It was a promise.

* * *

"I really don't see what the problem is," Jack Hench repeated for what felt like the millionth time, still trying to calm down his furious roommate "she saved people and was noticed by some organization – well, good for her. Why should you _care_?" he asked. It was almost scary just how much Sheldon let his sister's life and choices affect him: it was like he couldn't wrap his mind around the idea they could simply go for different ways.

Sheldon snorted. "You don't understand!" he snapped "she thinks she's better than I am, she always did. And now _everyone_ thinks the same – if only they--" he trailed off, but Jack knew exactly what he had been about to say – if only they _knew_. "I could have done the same in her place," Sheldon was going on, his teeth gritted together so tightly that his jaw hurt "I know I could have!"

_No, you couldn't have. You couldn't have for one, simple reason._

"Sheldon?" Jack called out somewhat worriedly as he saw his freezing, his gaze fixed on the stump in place of his right hand.

"I could have done the same in her place," Sheldon repeated quietly, his only hand clenching in a tight fist as he kept staring at the stump "if I only I wasn't crippled, I could have…" his voice failed him and he drew in a deep breath. How _could_ he prove himself better if he was crippled like that?

Fine, now Jack was _definitely_ worried. Ever since he had met him, Sheldon had never showed any sign of thinking of himself as crippled – why would he start now? "Look, it doesn't matter…"

"Yes, it does!" Sheldon barked "you just have no _idea_ of what it's like!"

There was a brief silence. "No, I have no idea," Jack finally admitted "but, if it's that important for you…" he paused before he gave a sigh "tell me, would you be interested in getting a prosthetic hand?"

Sheldon stared at him for a few instants. "What…?" he breathed, barely daring to believe what he had just heard.

"You heard me. A mechanical, perfectly functional prosthetic hand; my father's industries already came up with some good prototypes," Jack paused "but it comes with a price."

Sheldon felt as if someone had just punched him in the stomach – but of course, he was going to need who knows how much money to afford one. Why hadn't he even thought about it? There was no way he could get enough money, not before _years_…

"It's not money," Jack clarified as he saw him dropping his shoulders just a little "it's…different. Do you remember when you spread that virus in the college network for my father's industries?"

It took Sheldon a few instants to remember about that: it had been some time, and so many things had happened that he had nearly forgotten it. "Yes."

"Well, as you probably guessed he happens to need people to do…jobs similar to that one quite often: he has a pretty aggressive strategy when it comes to competition."

Sheldon smiled a little. "Yes, I noticed."

"If you accepted to do more of such…jobs, I could convince him to give you one of those prototypes as a form of payment," Jack said, then he smiled "advanced payment, of course, because it's in his best interest that you have two hands so you can be as effective as possible. What do you think?"

Sheldon found himself to unable to speak for a few moments. "I…should think about it," he said, his head spinning a little. It was temping – so awfully tempting. He would be a criminal, but he would have two hands, he would be _whole_ again…!

_And you'll be able to show your little sister who's best._

Jack nodded. "Of course. It's a lot to chew, so you probably better take some time to think--"

"Done. I'm in."

* * *

Agent Director, Betty thought with a small smile as she walked out of the control room. From that moment on, she was officially a GJ junior agent. And from what she had been told, there were very few people who had managed to get to that point after barely three months as a freelance agent.

The fact her previous mission – taking down a crazed guy that thought stealing a nuclear weapon would be the best way to impress the girl he liked – had been a complete success had certainly had a hand in it, she thought with a small chuckle as she changed from her uniform into more comfortable clothes. She glanced at her watch – yes, she still had enough time to study a little before she collapsed on her bed.

She better make up some excuse for Dakota, she mused, but the thought didn't bother her. Fine, it could be stressing having to make up excuses each time and studying between one mission and the other, but it didn't bother her, not really: she was almost done with college, so she wouldn't have to keep that up for long. Besides, it was just so great knowing she was actually doing something helpful for the whole world that minor things like that couldn't bother her.

"Just wait until I tell mom," she muttered to no one in particular, still feeling happier than she could remember, her thoughts not lingering on his brother for one single moment.

* * *

"Of course, this is just a prototype," Jack was explaining "I'm sure we'll be able to come up with better ones soon – still, I think this one was good enough. Of course, you'll have to get used to it, but once you do…are you even listening?" he asked, clearly amused by the fact Sheldon seemed to busy clenching and unclenching his new hand to pay any attention to anything he was saying.

"No, I didn't hear a word," Sheldon muttered, still staring at the prosthetic hand in awe. It felt so odd having two hands again, but it was simply wonderful. He would no longer be the crippled one, he would no longer get any look of pity from anyone. He was whole again, and he would soon prove himself to be far better than his sister was. Oh, yes, he _would_! "This is perfect," he said to no one in particular.

Jack smirked somewhat proudly. "I take it you're satisfied, then."

A wide grin spread on Sheldon's face as he wiggled his mechanical fingers – it took some concentration to do so and he wasn't very coordinated yet, but he was sure practice would make it perfect. "You have no idea, Jack. You have no idea."

* * *

**Five years later.**

It hadn't taken Sheldon much time to realize that crime pays well, and it took him even less time realizing he actually liked it…especially since he would keep breaking law all the times he wanted, and his sister – the oh-so-wonderful GJ agent – didn't suspect a thing: yet another proof that he had always been the best out of them.

He had kept working for the Hench Co. even after he had paid back his hand. Things had become even better the previous year: old David Hench had left his son the full responsibility of a whole sector of the Hench Co. Industries – as a on-the-field training, as he had put it – and one couldn't say Jack wasn't more than capable of making business: in less than a year, profits had kept growing steadily. Of course, he had required Sheldon's…help from time to time, and he had been more than glad to help him out.

The generous pay check he would get each time didn't hurt, of course. He could finally get all the money he wanted without having to struggle with some stupid job at impossible hours, and it was one heck of a good deal...still, it was nothing compared to the satisfaction of knowing his sister didn't suspect a thing. The knowledge he could fool her was the reason why he brought himself to take part of those dinners at their mother's place – both of them has moved elsewhere by now, and he was rather thankful of that.

He still despised having to face her, and it was clear she despised his presence just as much…but the satisfaction was really worth it, Sheldon thought with an inward grin as he scratched Mimi's ears. She was growing a little older now and thus didn't start yapping, but she still waved her tail before falling back asleep; Sheldon had brought her with him when he had moved, but she still spent some time at his mother's house from time to time…especially when he was as busy as he was now.

It was actually a stroke of luck that their mother had chosen that day to invite them over: he was supposed to steal a secret chip from a certain laboratory in a nearby town, and with the car – the new car he could finally afford getting in place of that old pick-up – it would take him very little to get there by nightfall. And he would once again get away with it, just under his sister's nose.

The grin that spread on his face at the thought didn't escape Betty this time. "What is it you find so funny?" she asked somewhat coldly as their mother got in the kitchen to make some tea, and not just out of curiosity. For some reason, that grin unnerved her…still, everything about her brother unnerved her when they had to spend more than ten seconds in the same room.

"It's none of your business," Sheldon snapped back "why don't you think about running after pickpockets, Betty?" he sneered.

She frowned, unable to ignore some kind of gut feeling that made her glance at Sheldon's watch. "Nice watch," she commented "it must cost a lot. Where did you exactly get the money for that?"

He immediately scowled. "I had some money saved up."

"The same money you used for that hand and then for the new car?" her frown deepened. It wasn't the first time she had a bad feeling about all the money Sheldon seemed to be getting, but she had never really stopped to think about it.

"You know, I have a _job_. And people who have jobs tend to get a nice piece of paper called pay check at the end of the month," he nearly snarled, trying to not sound too defensive. Good thing he had eventually gotten the degree in engineering anyway – mainly because he loathed leaving things unfinished – so he could say he was one of those who worked with numbers to make sure bridges wouldn't collapse or some crap like that.

Betty was about to ask if he had recently worked for the President of United States himself or something like that to get all that money, but she shut her mouth as their mother walked back in. Still, it didn't escape her how oddly relieved her brother seemed for a few instants. Could it be that the money came from something illegal he did? She had never even thought about that possibility, still the fact he had gotten all that money in so little time was suspicious to say the least…and she knew he wouldn't be above doing such things just in spite of her.

Maybe she was wrong, but it wouldn't hurt keeping an eye on him.

* * *

Getting inside the lab had been easy, but he expected that: while working there as a mole – it hadn't been fun at all having to clean up that place like a darn janitor or something, but it had been necessary – he had made sure he got the key for every single lock and a way to bypass any kind of alarm system. It was like stealing candies from a kid, he mused as he made it to the room where his target was.

He grinned and reached for the chip, but he froze, his grin vanishing from his face as he heard a cold, horribly familiar voice behind him. "I _knew_ there was something wrong with the amount of money you suddenly got. So _this_ is your new job, isn't it? I shouldn't have expected anything better from you."

He scowled in fury, turning to glare at his sister – what was she doing there? Had she followed him? She had really decided to ruin his life, hadn't she? "Well, looks like mommy's golden girl just caught the black sheep red handed," he snarled "what do you think you're going to do _now_, Betty? Run to mom to tell her I've been bad?" he gave a barking laugh, as if he found the idea incredibly funny.

Betty's eyes narrowed. "How long?" she demanded to know. How long had he been breaking law? Why had he done it? For money, just in spite of her, or both?

"_Years_," he retorted with some kind of vicious satisfaction "since when you became an agent for that GJ crap, and I had twice the money you could _ever_ get after not even a year. Does it burn knowing you never found out until now?" he taunted her, his hands – both his real hand and the prosthetic one – clenching into fists "some crime fighter you are!"

"It's just because I made sure I'd stay well _away_ from you," she snorted, then she clenched her jaw, her muscles tense – while she was trained to fight, she knew he had more brute strength than she did: she couldn't let him take her by surprise should he attack. "I should have taken you down already, like I always do with thieves," she spat out the last word as if it was poison "and the only reason why I haven't yet is that you're my brother, whether I want it or not. Now step away from that project and just surrender. If you don't put up a fight and then tell us all we need to know about…whoever is behind this, I'll make sure you'll have to face lighter charge."

Sheldon stared at her for a few moments, an astonished look on his face, then he began laughing. He laughed so hard that he had to bend forward, putting his hands on his knees. "You…you really expect me to just hand myself over – and to _you_ of all people?" he laughed again "you must be insane if you think I'd ever agree, baby sister! You'll have to come over here and _get me_."

Betty bit her lower lip. Despite all the contempt and grudge she felt for her brother, there was a part of her that hesitated to actually take him down. "You'll only make it worse for yourself," she said "for _once_ in your life, try to be reasonable and--"

She trailed off as Sheldon suddenly turned to grab something on the desk next to him and threw it against her – a metallic cylinder. Betty ducked under is just in time, and Sheldon took advantage of her distraction to rush forward and leap on her. She gasped as he managed to grab her throat and slam her against the wall, his prosthetic hand holding her neck in an iron grip.

He grinned as he watched her struggling to breathe. "Now you see who's the best out of us, don't you?" he snarled "and you wanted me to give in! I could snap your neck like a _chopstick_ now, you know? Now I want you to _beg_ for me to let you go, Betty, and maybe I'll--" he trailed off with a strangled cry as his sister brought up her knee to hit his stomach, and his grip around her neck slackened just enough for her to break free.

She completely forgot she was dealing with her brother and simply did what she had been trained to do in such situations: she grabbed his arm and turned to flip him over her back and onto the ground…but she didn't realize until it was too late that in their struggle they had stepped too close to the glass door that led to another room.

Sheldon didn't register any pain at first. For a few instants he could only feel her had been lifted from the ground and thrown forward, and for a moment he didn't even realize that the sound of shattering glass came from the glass door he had fallen through. Even as he felt something warm and wet running down his face, for a fraction of second he didn't ever realize it was blood.

And then there was the pain – a dreadful, burning pain in his left eye that made him scream in agony so loudly that his throat hurt and his voice failed him for a few instants. He fell on the ground heavily, still screaming hoarsely, his left hand reaching for his face, and he was horrified to see – with the only eye he could still see through – that it was covered with blood. _His_ blood. He gritted his teeth, throbbing hatred mixing with the blinding pain, and he let out another scream as he got back on his feet.

"_You_!"

Betty had frozen as she had heard his howl of pain, and she took a staggering step back as he turned to face her – there was a deep, bleeding gash across his left eye, which was now tightly shut, and the left half of his face was covered with blood. His right eye was fixed on her, and she was nearly terrified by the hatred she could see in it. "Sheldon?" she heard herself speaking "your eye…Sheldon, I'm sorry, I…" she stuttered, not knowing what to say – she had never expected things to get that far. Never.

Her brother didn't give any sign of hearing her. He let out a scream of rage, his prosthetic hand instinctively grabbing a large shard from the broken glass door, then he darted forward. In her shock, Betty simply had no time to react until a moment before he struck…but then, it was too late.

She managed to mostly dodge the strike – had she stood still she probably wouldn't have survived, since in his fury he had aimed for her throat – but she didn't make it unscathed. She screamed at the excruciating pain as her brother managed to strike her across her face, the sharp shard of glass leaving a deep gash across her right eye, immediately blinding it.

She stumbled backwards and fell, blood running down her face and soaking her clothes. Through the blood that clogged the vision of her left eye she could barely see Sheldon dropping the blood-stained glass shard and taking a few steps back, staring at her with the only eye he had left, an odd mixture of pain, horror and triumph on his face. His triumph, however, only lasted a few instants. "Betty…" he called out, his voice almost trembling, but he trailed off as she raised her gaze to meet his, allowing him to see in her eye the same hatred that had been in his own moments before.

The brief twinge of regret he had felt disappeared – she had no right to be angered to him! No right! She had been the one to step in his way while she shouldn't have interfered at all, and she had been the one to wound him first. She had no right to hate him, not as much as he loathed _her_! "So, baby sister," he spat out those words as if they were poison "see what you get for getting in the way of your older brother? It's all fun and games until somebody loses and eye, isn't it?" he hissed, trying to ignore the blood that kept running down his face and the fact he couldn't see through his left eye anymore either – did he even _have_ a left eye anymore?

Betty growled as she slowly got back on her feet, blood dripping down her face and on the ground, glaring daggers at him – if gaze could kill, he would have dropped dead that very instant. "As long as it was to stop _you_, I don't care," she spat "and looks like I wasn't the only one to lose something. What about that, _big brother_?" she said, mockingly marking her last words.

He furiously gritted his teeth. "It wouldn't have happened if only you…!" Sheldon trailed off as he heard a howling noise he didn't like one bit – the police was coming; he had to escape now, or they would get him. "It doesn't end here," he snarled, taking a few steps back, his eye still fixed on his sister "this is just the beginning, do you hear me? It's just the beginning!" he shouted before turning to run away.

Despite her best judgement, Betty didn't go after him as he turned his back to her and ran outside, leaving a trail of blood behind him. She just stood still, oblivious of the pain, her only eye fixed on the blood that had fallen from his face onto the floor. Her hand went to her own face, and she scowled as she glanced down at the blood in her hand. Once the police came, she would explain the situation…but she would say she had no idea of who the criminal was. He didn't want them to get him – she would, sooner or later. Getting him would be her job, and hers alone. It was her responsibility. It was _personal_.

"Indeed," she heard herself saying as she clenched her bloody hand into a tight fist, the howling of the sirens getting closer and closer, covering her last words "this is the beginning of your end, brother."

* * *

Sheldon grimaced as he read the reports on the newspaper. As he expected, his sister's name was nowhere to be seen – she definitely preferred to keep a low profile – but that his name wasn't there was a surprise. He had been sure she would at least tell the police about him, but apparently she hadn't, for authorities claimed they didn't know the criminal's identity. Was it a trap, or had she had decided she wanted to hunt him down herself? But of course she wanted to! She always wanted to prove herself better than him, didn't she? Well, he would show her! He would--

"How are you feeling?"

Sheldon turned to the door to see Jack Hench walking inside the room, still dressed with his business attire – he had probably dropped whatever business he was taking care of on the other side of the globe to get back there after his henchmen had reported him that Sheldon Director had dragged himself to his residence that night, injuried and bleeding.

"I've had worse," he just said, putting down the newspaper "I'm sorry I showed up like this, but I couldn't go to any hospital at the moment. You were the only one I could think of."

"It was a wise choice to come here – doctors in hospitals have the annoying habit of making questions. You'll obviously be my guest until your complete recover. It was a lucky thing you were so close to my residence – according to what my henchmen told me, you lost quite a lot of blood."

Sheldon's hand went to touch the bandages that covered his left eye socket. "Yes, I noticed," he said "I couldn't get the chip," he added.

"Forget the chip, it doesn't matter now. I still haven't met the doctor – what about…?"

"The eye is gone," Sheldon just said, his voice flat and emotionless.

"Oh," Jack bit his lower lip "I'm sorry about it. If you're interested, though, I know someone who's working on a new technology that could allow building bionic eyes in a few years. I could--"

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"No bionic eyes for me. I'll rather keep an empty socket as a reminder."

"A reminder of what?"

Sheldon growled. "Of how much I hate my sister."

Jack blinked. "She did this to you?"

"I returned the favour rather quickly," he seethed, his voice dripping with hatred "an eye for an eye, they say – how true!"

"It's also stated that an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind," Jack said reasonably.

"Ask me if I give a damn! All I know is that I got her back for what she did – but it still isn't enough," he turned to glance at him, and Jack Hench nearly took a step back as he saw something akin to madness in the only eye his friend had left. "I want to defeat her, to humiliate her, to destroy all she worked for so I can show her who's always been the best between us. I want to _break_ her – only then I'll be satisfied!"

"Is this really going to be your goal? You could do so much more if you only didn't let--"

"And I will, after I've made her pay!"

"Sheldon…"

"Don't call me Sheldon," he snapped "not anymore."

Jack frowned. "Does it mean you decided to get a new identity?"

"Not quite, but close enough," was the reply "I have something in mind. Something big."

"Could you be more specific?"

"An organization."

"A criminal organization?"

"What else?" was the reply.

Jack nodded. "I understand. How big?"

"Very big. I'm going to need a new name for myself – that, and your help. I'll need founds and connections, and you have both."

"It's a risky business."

"Don't worry, it will turn out to be a good deal for both of us. Besides," he added with a smirk "you already make business with less than…harmless clients and business partners. This won't be much different; it will just be on a much larger scale. Didn't you always say that if you want to win you must play?"

There was a brief silence, then Jack Hench nodded slowly – it was clear the idea intrigued him. "Fine, you can count on me. How should I call you from now on?"

Sheldon Director glanced down at the newspaper, which had opened at the horoscope page when he had dropped it. He scowled as his gaze came across his own sign…his, and Betty's. Their mother had always joked about how fitting it was for it to be their sign, and they used to find it amusing as well…but that felt like a lifetime before. Now he couldn't find _anything_ that linked him to his sister amusing, not anymore: it only infuriated him…a perfect reminder, he thought. He raised his gaze, his only eye narrowed.

"Call me Gemini."


	13. Ron Factor aftermath

_A/N: __so, this chapter is set directly after the Ron Factor and more or less fifteen years after the end of the previous chapter. __There was supposed to be just a small scene set after the Ron Factor episode, but I ended up having so much fun getting to portray Gemini and Dr. Director as adults that it developed into a whole section of the fic - 30,000 words, approximatively__. I just can't keep anything short to save my life, it seems _XD

* * *

"Status report?" Dr. Director asked, stepping into the main room and glancing down at GJ's top scientist.

"Project analysis is complete. The Ron Factor is a non-factor," the scientist – one of those who had been working for GJ even before she became a junior agent – said, switching off the screen.

Dr. Director held back a sigh. "Well, there's a whole bunch of research dollars down the drain," she muttered. All that trouble for nothing, she thought…and now she was left with a problem to deal with, a problem she had always hoped she could avoid somehow. She was snapped from her thoughts as the scientist went on.

"Not exactly. The data revealed a powerful untapped force. We call it the Rufus Factor," he said, pressing a button, and graphics and data regarding Ron Stoppable's naked mole rat appeared on the screen.

"The Rufus Factor? Interesting," Dr. Director said, glancing at the screen – after all, from what she had witnessed that little creature had had a hand in her evil twin's demise…so maybe that whole thing hadn't just been a waste of time and resources. "Keep the naked mole rat under surveillance until further notice. I want all the data you collected until now on my desk in ten minutes," she ordered before turning to leave the control room.

For a moment she almost stopped in the doorway, she almost reconsidered what she was about to do – she couldn't say she liked the idea of going against everything she had always stood for, of betraying the trust of so many people – but then she thought of her mother, of how much knowing the truth about her son would crush her, and it was enough for her to push all the guilt aside and ignore the part of her that screamed for her to not do it.

She walked to the elevator and typed in a certain code before putting her hand on the panel for the fingerprints scan, and the elevator finally started moving downwards, to the area where the holding cells were.

She had a visit to pay.

* * *

After what felt like an eternity if drifting in and out of consciousness, Gemini was eventually welcomed back to full consciousness by a rather painful cramp in his right side. He instinctively tried to move to reach the aching spot, but he immediately felt something that kept him from moving his arm – handcuffs. His only eye snapped open, and he grimaced as he realized he was inside a cell…probably inside the GJ headquarters, he thought, a scowl on his face as he realized he was handcuffed to the bed he was laying onto – if that excuse of a cot could even be defined a bed – and that his mechanical hand was gone. It was with an odd sense of outrage that he realized that his uniform was gone as well, replaced by an orange prison suit that made him want to carve out the only eye he still had.

Gemini let out a frustrated growl and shut his eye tightly, trying to ignore the cramps in his muscles – the effects of the electric jolt that had ran through his body thanks to that disgusting hairless rat, he thought in distaste as he tried to stretch his aching muscles as much as he could. He couldn't move anything without aching, he realized. "Someone is going to pay for this," he growled to no one in particular, and much to his dismay he realized that his throat was so dry that speaking felt painful. He was awfully thirsty – how long had he been unconscious?

"How nice of you. One would think you'd be grateful for being alive after all."

Gemini winced as a well-known and much hated voice spoke just a few feet from him. He turned to see his sister standing right next to the cot – she had approached him on his blind side. "You!" he barked, glaring daggers at her as he tried to move as much as his aching body and the handcuffs that chained his left hand to the cot allowed him "what do you _want_?"

Dr. Director didn't even flinch. "You better drink," she said stiffly, and he noticed she had a glass of water in her hand. His burning throat clenched at the sight – he simply couldn't remember last time he had been so thirsty…but he would never give her the satisfaction to see him accept anything from her, he thought. Oh, no, _never_.

"Says who?" he asked challengingly, trying once again to at least sit up – he hated it how she was _towering_ over him – but his cuffed arm made it an impossible task. He had to lie back down, glaring at he furiously.

"You went through an electric shock, just in case you forgot. Good for you that it wasn't enough to give you severe burns or neurological issues," she said "and you didn't drink anything the whole day. You better hydrate."

He scoffed. "Oh, really?" he said sarcastically, meaningfully glancing at his chained wrist and lifting his mutilated arm – his mechanical hand had been taken from him while he was unconscious, only leaving the stump "and how am I supposed to, exactly?"

She just raised and eyebrow, the glass still in her hand, and he froze, staring at her. "No," he muttered "I _refuse_ to! I don't need your help!"

"Well, if you see any other way…"

"How about uncuffing me?"

She smirked. "Nice try. Now, why don't you just try to be reasonable so we can get it done quickly?"

"I'd rather keep the thirst!"

Dr. Director shrugged. "In this case, suit yourself – but you'll have to hydrate one way or another. If you refuse to drink, we'll have to use IV. Do you really want to have a needle stuck in your arm and _still_ keep feeling thirsty?"

"Go to hell."

"Fine," she said coldly, putting down the glass where he could see it "you had your chance."

Gemini scowled. "Take it away," he rasped, avoiding to look at the glass of water.

"In a minute, if you behave. If you don't, I might forget it here for you to see it."

Her brother stared at her dumbly for a moment, bewildered, then he gritted his teeth. "I bet it feels great being in control for once, to be the _strong_ one," he said resentfully "what else do you want from me?"

"Odd, I should be the one to ask that question. After all, you are the one who simply cannot leave me be."

"You keep stepping in my way!"

"No, I don't – you're the one who keeps doing anything to bother me," she replied coldly "I fight you because my duty is to secure safety to the globe. I have to – otherwise, I'd be glad to just forget you even existed. But _you_…well, going against me is the only reason why you created your organization after all. It's the only ambition in your life, apparently – it's kind of pathetic, if you ask to me. And do you know what it means?"

"_Shut up_!" he snarled, but she detected a trace of weariness in his voice beneath the rage that didn't really surprise her – he was chained, tired, thirsty and hurt, and he clearly had no arguments, no excuses left to hide behind. She was telling the truth, and he _knew_ it. He had probably always known it, she realized – he had just always avoided to think about it.

She ignored the part of her that asked her to go easy on him now that he was hurt and she leant forward. "It means that _you_ are the weak one. _You_ are the one who can't move on, and you know it – you _hate_ it. You hate it that I went on with my life and you couldn't: your resentment towards me is all that keeps you going," she scoffed "you know what, Gemini? I pity you."

Her twin growled and opened his mouth to retort, but no words came out: he seemed unable to come up with anything he could say to prove her wrong, and for a brief moment he seemed almost _lost_, then he scowled. "You're wrong," he seethed, purposely ignoring the fact his words didn't sound convincing to his own ears "you're just giving yourself too much importance – you're nothing more than a foe to me: it's just business. It's not like my life revolves around _you_."

Dr. Director's only eye narrowed. "Oh, really? Can you name anything meaningful you did in these last, say, _fifteen_ _years_ that wasn't aimed to me?" she asked slyly.

Gemini felt a sudden coldness in his stomach as he realized he had no idea of what he could say. He couldn't think of _anything_ relevant he had done that hadn't been meant to go against his sister one way or another in all those years. "I…well…it's none of your business!" he shouted angrily "you have no idea of whether--" he suddenly trailed off as his voice failed him, a sharp pain in his throat. He coughed and winced as he tried to swallow – it felt like he had swallowed sandpaper.

"Reconsidering my offer?"

He glared daggers at her. "_No_," he rasped, but his throat seemed to burn even more as his gaze rested on the glass just for a moment.

Dr. Director shrugged. "Suit yourself. I just hope for your own good that you'll be more reasonable about my other offer."

Gemini glanced at her suspiciously. "What offer?"

His sister didn't reply immediately – instead she just took the glass and casually drank some water right in front of him. He clenched his teeth, feeling even more furious. That bitch…!

"You'll be kept here for tonight," she said, putting back down the still half-filled glass "it's the standard procedure when a prisoner is wounded during the capture. Tomorrow morning, after we've made sure your conditions allow you to be transferred, you'll be brought to a maximum-security prison where you'll spend at least a couple of decades – if you're _lucky_, you'll be out by the time you're sixty. Seventy, if we want to be more realistic. In any case you would get out as an old, finished man…not to mention the possibility you could just never leave that prison until the end of your days if the judge classify your activities as terrorism. Not a nice thought, uh?" she smirked. She was probably exaggerating a little – maybe more than just a little, especially regarding her last statement – but one thing was certain: her brother wouldn't be up for a brief vacation. Besides, the more scared she got him, the more chances there were he would swallow his stupid pride and listen to her offer.

Gemini refused to acknowledge the cold chill that ran down his spine at the thought and gave a bitter laugh, ignoring the pain in his dry throat. "You're loving this, aren't you?"

"No."

Her blunt reply was enough to make him stop laughing. "What?"

"It's not for _you_," she remarked, scowling "it's for mom. You never told her the truth, did you? She doesn't even know you're a criminal."

His stomach clenched unpleasantly at the thought of their mother's reaction should she find out and see him being locked up in a prison for so many years – he was sure it would simply crush her. And he would probably still be in prison when she died, he realized: she was old after all. He had never even thought about that risk. "No, she doesn't. But looks like she's about to find out," he said, trying to ignore the sudden weight on his chest, and for the first time in years he actually felt guilty.

"Not if I can prevent it."

"Uh?"

Dr. Director produced something from her pocket before approaching him and grabbing his cuffed hand. "Here," she said, putting something on his finger before he could react, and it took him a moment to realize what it was: a transparent, almost invisible ring.

Gemini blinked. "I suppose you have an explanation…?"

"There are some tranquilliser darts in that ring," she explained "it should be enough to put the agents that will escort you to sleep for a while. After that, you'll have to be quick to get in the hangar – with all the fly-on-the-wall cams you sent here, I bet you know the way. You'll find a jet ready to take off, and that ring is also the key to start the engine. Is that clear?"

He dumbly stared at her. Had the world suddenly started spinning the opposite way or something? "You're going to let me escape? Just like that?"

"It's not for _you_, in case it wasn't perfectly clear already," she said coldly "it's for mom. As far as I'm concerned, it makes very little difference whether you go in jail or not – you _lost_ in any case, and it's enough for me."

"I didn't…!"

"Keep your moth shut for once, or I might change my mind and leave you to rot," she hissed, and he trailed off, though not without glaring at her "there is one more thing – the jet will be set on the automatic pilot mode, and there won't be any way for you to set it off without the right code. It will bring you to the only place where no one will ever look for you."

"On Pluto?" he asked sarcastically.

"My home."

There was a brief silence. "I'd prefer Pluto," he said flatly.

"Yeah, me too. Sadly I didn't have the time to get a spaceship, so I guess my home will have to do."

"You've gone insane," he finally snapped "what in the world are you _thinking_?"

"Should I take it as a thank you?" she asked coldly.

"I' not going to _hide_ in your house!" he fumed. Was that another way to humiliate him? Well, he wasn't up to play her game! "I'll never be in _debt_ with you!"

"Do I really have to remind you who it was to drag you into the escape pod when your base blew up?" she asked casually "we could have left you there to die, you know – you and your dog."

Gemini winced at her words. Pepe! He hadn't even thought about him! Was he safe? Where was he?

"…then I made sure you got medical treatment, and now I'm offering you a chance to escape…your _only _chance to escape," Dr. Director was going on "you already _are_ in debt with me. It's humiliating, isn't it?"

The thought seemed to anger him even more – well, not that she had really expected him to be grateful. "What makes you think I'll accept this?"

"It's the safest place for you right now. I don't want our mother to find out what you really are and to see you in prison – it would break her heart," she said, and her brother cringed slightly "and I'm pretty sure you're not dying to spend the next few decades inside a cell. But of course, it's your choice," she added, folding her arms and staring down at him. She couldn't say she _liked_ the idea of turning her back to everything she stood for to let him get away – actually, she _despised _it – and he surely wasn't making the whole thing any easier.

Gemini glared back at her for a few moments, then, much to Dr. Director's surprise, he sighed and turned away from her. "Fine. I accept," he said grudgingly, stubbornly refusing to look at her. He could still get her back for that humiliation later, he decided. But to do so, he had to escape.

"Well, looks like you still have something resembling a brain left," she said dryly, but there was a trace of relief in her voice.

"I could escape from prison without your help," he pointed out sourly "the only reason why--"

Dr. Director waver her hand. "Yes, I know – you don't want our mother to find out," she cut him off, not really wanting to get into an argument if he could really escape from prison or not "that makes two of us. Now listen close – once the jet takes off it will activate an invisibility field, so no need to hide it once landed: leave it where it is, get inside my house and lock yourself inside until I get back – I'll leave the spare key under the doormat. Don't let anyone see you, and don't even think about contacting _anyone_. Just wait for me to get home."

He shrugged. "What makes you think I'll actually get inside your house rather than escaping on my own?"

"The jet won't move again after landing – not until I put the right code in it. You wouldn't go far…and it would be risky, wouldn't it?" she reminded him "you can bet every GJ agent will be looking for you everywhere after your escape, and that would definitely make it hard for you to hide. All your acquaintances we know about will be under strict surveillance, all your bank accounts we can find will be blocked, and believe me when I say that every single place you could try hiding will be thoroughly searched. Even if you _had_ a safe place to stay, you'd be intercepted before you could get anywhere near it. My home is the only place where no one will ever look for you. And know this," she added sternly "if you won't be there when I get home tomorrow, I will have no rest until you're caught and sent to rot in prison, no matter what. This is your only chance."

Gemini hated to admit it, but she was making good points – GJ would undoubtedly make sure to cut him off all the connections he had so no one could aid his escape. He doubted they could manage to find all his bank accounts, especially since most of his founds were on several bank accounts Jack Hench owned – they had no reason to suspect whose money that really was, and Jack was the only one he trusted enough to keep the money safe – but he knew he had very little chances to get away. He would have to stay hidden for a while, at least until they thought he had made it into a safe place and would stop pursuing him: after all, GJ had too many things to take care of to waste too many agents looking for one single man for much, no matter who said man was. Still…

"And what if I get caught?" he asked slyly "I'm sure you wouldn't want me to spill the beans about _who_ aided my escape…"

"You'd have no proof – as far as they know, you could have had a mole in the GJ headquarters. It would be my word against yours: do you want to bet on whose has more chances to be believed?" she smirked "not to mention that it would mean losing any possibility of avoiding imprisonment – it wouldn't be a smart move of you. The only advice I can give you is to play well your part and not screw up."

"I don't _need_ your advice," he retorted, but she ignored him.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow evening," she said, turning away "and of course, don't even think about playing any trick. It would backfire on you in a minute," she added, approaching to the door.

"Wait."

Dr. Director stopped on her tracks. "What?" she asked, turning back to glance at him over her shoulder.

"What about Pepe?" Gemini asked, a concerned expression on his face – from what she had said he knew he should be safe, but he still knew nothing more about his beloved pet's whereabouts. "Where is he? How is he?"

She chuckled a little, mildly amused by her brother's devotion to that yelping little bugger. "It's--" she began, but she trailed off as her gaze fell on the glass of water she had forgotten to take back. "I'll tell you when you drink some water," she finally said, a smirk on her lips. She knew that stupid dog was his weakest point.

"_What_?" Gemini tried to yell, but he cringed at the pain in his throat and had to lower his voice "you can't do this to me!" he hissed, and for a moment he sounded almost like he was pleading her not to. Almost.

But, Dr. Director thought, it was for his own good. He had to drink something – besides, she had to admit it _was_ fun teasing him like that: it wasn't like he didn't deserve it after all. "Are you sure?" she asked idly, picking up the glass and taking a step forward, challengingly staring at him "so, do you want to know what happened to your dog or not?" she asked, hoping he would be sensible enough to give in and drink.

There was a brief silence.

"I _hate_ you," he finally seethed, but he swallowed painfully as he glanced at the small drops running down the glass, instinctively licking his dry lips.

"I know, and I assure you the feeling is mutual. Now drink, and I'll tell you about your dog," she said sternly, holding up the glass in front of his mouth. Gemini shot her another deadly glare before he finally complied, trying to not let himself show the utter relief he felt as fresh water went down his dry throat. His empty stomach clenched at the sudden coldness and for a moment he thought he would throw it up, but he managed to hold back. She tilted the glass a little to allow him to swallow the last few drops.

"Your dog is fine," Dr. Director said as she put away the now empty glass, not even waiting for him to ask again – she got the feeling he was too busy licking his lips to make sure not a single drop had been wasted "I'll make sure it's taken care of as long as necessary. I'll have it delivered at mom's place as soon as the trouble your escape will cause dies down, so you can go to get it back and pay mom a visit while you're at it. Now sleep and spare your energy, you'll need it tomorrow," she added as she left, the door shutting behind her "and for once in your life, Sheldon, _don't mess up_."

Gemini scowled and turned to face the wall, saying nothing.

* * *

Dr. Director could just _feel_ her stomach clenching as the alarms went off – that was it, she thought. She turned to the agent that had just run into the control room. "Report!"

"Gemini has escaped," the agent panted "he must have had some hidden weapon with him, and he used it to stun our men. He made it to the hangar – he took a jet!"

"Use the radars!" she barked. She knew it wouldn't work for the jet was on its stealth mode and thus would elude any radar, but it was the standard procedure and it would make him gain some time.

"No sign of him," one of the agents said "seems like he set up the stealth mode!"

"In that case, we have to make sure he has nowhere to hide," Dr. Director ordered, mentally patting herself on the back for sounding so convincing "I want you to put all his acquaintances we know of under control and to block all the bank accounts you can find that are connected to him. And I want all our remaining jets to go after him."

"It will be hard to find him now. He must have at least ten minutes of advantage, he isn't on the radars and he probably has the invisibility shield on," one of the agents muttered as the others rushed to do as they had been told.

"If you have _any_ better idea, do tell me," Dr. Director snapped, and the agent winced as he was reminded what a bad idea discussing her orders was…especially when Gemini was involved. He quickly nodded and rushed to do as she had said.

"Uh…Dr. Director?"

"Yes?"

"Should we also put under surveillance your…well…" the agent hesitated.

"Our mother?" she nodded "of course – I doubt he would be stupid enough to try hiding there, but we can't overlook the possibility. And most of all, you must not let yourself hesitate only because she is _my_ mother too," she paused "only one thing – don't let her suspect anything. She doesn't know what my brother is, and I don't want her to find out like this. Is that clear?"

"Perfectly clear."

Dr. Director nodded. She didn't really like the idea of putting her own mother under surveillance, but it would seem too suspicious if she didn't. She better do so for a while: she would remove the surveillance on her later on, when the emergency died down. "Fine," she said, looking to glance at the screens that were showing the results of their scanning around the globe in the useless search for Gemini and hoping everything went according to the plan. Either way, one thing was certain – it was going to be one long day.

* * *

As the jet silently landed on the lawn there was no one in sight, and that was a good thing: even though the invisibility shield was on, someone might have wondered why had the grass began waving even though there was no wind…and most of all, someone could have noticed the man that apparently just popped out from mid-air to fall on the lawn with a barely restrained yelp.

Gemini groaned and leant his head on the grass for a few instants, gritting his teeth to not scream at the cramps that tore at him. If he had been aching everywhere the day before, now it was much worse: he had to struggle with one of those stupid guards he hadn't managed to hit with a tranquilliser dart at the first attempt, and that son of a bitch had managed to use a taser on him before he finally collapsed. Thankfully it had been brief, but a second electric shock hadn't done him any good: he had managed to stay conscious and ignore it while escaping, the adrenaline rushing in his blood somehow blocking out the pain, but during the flight it had started to take its toll – there wasn't any muscle in him that didn't hurt, and he was so drained of any strength that he felt like he could pass out any moment.

It took him an awful effort to get back on his feet and stagger to the front door of Betty's house – the common kind of house you'd expect to find in a relatively small town, he noticed as he reached under the doormat to taker the key and unlocked the front door, trying to ignore a cramp on his side that almost made him cry out. He was going to tell her just how corny she was, he thought confusedly while he dragged himself inside and shut the door behind him – he could barely even walk, every muscle in his body screaming for mercy, and he desperately needed to rest. Actually, the only thing that kept him from just letting himself fall on the floor and sleep there was the fact he simply refused to let Betty walk in that evening to find him on the ground, as if he had passed out or something.

He would never get over the humiliation if a such thing ever happened…as if having to stay hidden in her house wasn't humiliating enough, he thought bitterly as he staggered inside the living room and let himself fall on the couch. Gemini let out a sigh of relief as he finally allowed himself to rest, trying to relax his cramped body – that couch wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep onto, but it was soft and he was _safe_, and it would do for now. He simply didn't have enough strength left to get up and see if there was a spare room – and he would never, under any circumstances, set foot insider _her_ bedroom.

He turned to glance at a small table in a corner as he rested his head on one of the stuffed pillows and he noticed a framed picture that looked quite familiar, but his mind was too clouded by fatigue to recognize it. Gemini closed his only eye and fell asleep – or maybe passed out – almost immediately.

* * *

He was still sleeping soundly hours later, as the door finally opened and Dr. Director stepped in with a few bags and an epic migraine – it hadn't been an easy day, but she had been expecting it: a prisoner escaping from the GJ headquarters is bound to bring everyone an awful lot of work to do. The source of all that trouble, however, was currently so deep in his sleep that he didn't even stir at the sound of his sister's footsteps as she approached the couch, nor he heard the sigh of relief that escaped her.

Since no sign of him had been found she already knew he had made it, still she felt like a weight was lifted from her stomach as she saw him sleeping on the couch, snoring slightly. Not that she was glad to have to deal with him now, but it was a relief that the plan had worked. For some reason, Dr. Director found herself smiling faintly as she watched him sleep – it was clear he had just collapsed on the couch the moment he had gotten in, for he hadn't even bothered to fetch a blanket or a decent pillow, nor he had removed his shoes or the prison uniform he was still wearing.

Well, not that it surprised her – it was a given that he would be exhausted, especially since Will Du had apparently managed to give him another electric shock before Gemini could hit him with a tranquilliser dart. He would probably need a bath as soon as he woke up – good thing she had bought some stuff for him on her way home, she mused, putting down the bags and glancing at his sleeping form again. She felt slightly uncomfortable as she noticed his eye patch had moved a little as he slept – not much, but still enough for her to see a small part of the old scar that, she guessed, crossed his now missing eye, sealing his eyelid shut. The scar _she_ had caused – it was the first time she saw it, she realized. She had never even wondered if the wound she had caused had actually resulted with his eye being carved out it socket or had just blinded it.

_Not that it matters. And don't even try to feel guilty: he had it coming, and he was quick to return the favour._

Dr. Director's hand went to her own eye patch just for a moment, then she gritted her teeth and shook her head to chase away some thought before walking past the couch and then into the kitchen to get some leftovers. She wasn't sure she even wanted to know when last time Gemini had eaten anything had been…and no, the stuff he had most likely been fed for breakfast that morning before the agents tried to move him to the prison definitely _didn't_ count as food.

Not that she cared if he ate or not, she thought as she walked back in the living room with the leftovers she had warmed up in the microwave, but she wanted him to leave as soon as she could put a end to the worldwide emergency search for him without causing anyone to suspect there was something wrong, and he had to recover to do so. The longer it took him to recover, the longer she would be stuck with him, she mused as she put down the dish and roughly shook him – perhaps a little more roughly than necessary.

"Uh? Wha…?" Gemini groaned as he stirred, still half asleep, clearly oblivious of the situation. He had to blink a couple of times to put her on focus, but when he did the confused expression on his still sleepy face turned into a furious scowl as he remembered what had happened and where he was. "What do you want now?" he snarled, struggling to sit up. His already aching muscles had stiffened as he slept, and now his whole body was protesting loudly. He gritted his teeth to hold back a yelp as he felt a sudden cramp in his lower back.

Dr. Director ignored the temptation to smack him and gestured to the leftovers. "Your dinner – you better eat it while it's still hot," she said somewhat stiffly before walking past him and upstairs, her lips pulled in a tight line. Gemini opened his mouth to retort, but he paused as his stomach suddenly grumbled. He glanced down at the chicken leftovers with a grimace: he was strongly tempted to throw away that stuff – he simply loathed the idea of eating anything Betty gave him – but then again, he _was_ hungry…and he needed to regain some strength if he wanted to leave as soon as he could. And, of course, to make her pay.

Gemini grudgingly glanced upstairs once again to make sure she wasn't watching before he painfully pushed himself in a sitting position, gritting his teeth as he tried to ignore the fact he felt like every single muscle in his body was on fire, and silently began to eat. Each bite seemed to leave a bitter taste in his mouth, but it didn't slow him down – he was simply too hungry to care, even though he was still trying with all his might to ignore the fact it was her leftovers he was eating, her couch he was sitting on, and her home he was hiding into. Any time he let himself remember that, he felt enraged enough to smash something.

"Still a messy eater, I see. Just pray nothing has fallen on the carpet," Dr. Director said abruptly, leaning on the doorway with her arms folded, and she gave an amused smirk as Gemini suddenly chocked on the bite he was about to swallow. She instinctively stepped forward to pat his back, but she stopped as he glared at her.

"Don't you _dare_," he managed to mutter as he kept coughing.

She shrugged, lowering her hand. "Suit yourself – you can choke for all I care," she said dryly as she waited for his coughing fit to end.

"Sorry, I'm not giving you the satisfaction," he retorted as his coughing subsided.

"Good. I wouldn't like to have to explain what is your corpse doing in my living room."

He scowled. "Is there a _reason_ why we're talking?"

"Yes, and a pretty valid one – I want to explain a thing or two you must do. Or, better yet, that you must _not_ do," she said "to put it simple, you can't go outside or open the curtains: they will stay closed all the time you're here. All your acquaintances are under strict surveillance, so don't even think about using the phone to contact _anyone_ – not any of your agents, not Jack Hench, not our mother. Don't even _look_ at the phone or try to communicate with anyone. Is that perfectly clear?"

He scoffed. "Obviously – do you think I'm stupid?"

"Do I _have_ to reply?"

"Very funny," he grumbled sulkily.

"It's just the cold hard truth, considering that you were stupid enough to give yourself and electric shock because of a finger trap," she mocked him with a smirk, causing his scowl to deepen, then she shrugged "anyway, the point is that _no one_ must know you're here. And one more thing: my house, my rules. You'll do what I say, and if you give me any trouble your next accommodation will be prison – I hope you'll be smart enough to behave."

He gave her a furious glare. "Who do you think you _are_?" he shouted, jumping on his feet "you're my baby sister! Stop treating me like I was your…your _dog_ or something!"

"I'm treating you the way you deserve," Dr. Director retorted, turning her back to him to get back upstairs "probably _better_ than you deserve. Consider yourself lucky and try to be grateful for once."

Gemini let out a roar of rage, something in his mind just snapping as he suddenly sprang forward, ignoring his aching muscles, raising his only hand to hit her. Had he stopped to think rationally he would have known it definitely wasn't a good idea, that it would take her very little effort to overcome him, especially in his current condition – but he just wanted to _hurt_ her and he didn't stop to think, and it was a mistake.

Dr. Director immediately turned and grabbed his arm before he could hit her, and the next thing Gemini registered was the blinding pain that shot through his whole battered body as his back violently hit the ground with a heavy thud. He gave a strangled cry, white spots clouding his vision for a few moments.

"Idiot," he heard his sister muttering somewhere above him, but he barely cared – God, it felt like there wasn't any part of his body that didn't _ache_. He tried to speak, but all that left his mouth was a pained gasp before he sucked in a sharp breath – he felt like all the air had been blown off his lungs.

Betty glanced down at him, slightly worried – he had hit the ground more violently than she would have wanted – but she was reassured as she saw him rolling on his stomach and struggling to push himself up. "Consider it a warning: no tricks with me, Gemini. You'd regret it," she said sharply before finally walking upstairs.

Gemini grimaced as she heard the sound of a door shutting and a key turning in the lock as she got inside her room. "You'll…pay for this," he said even though she couldn't hear him as he finally got back on his feet. He stayed still, glaring upstairs for a few more moments before staggering back to the couch and carefully leaning down, waiting for the stinging pain to subside.

It was going to be a long night.


	14. Truce

Unlike his sister, Gemini didn't exactly have a light sleep – actually, it could take a while and a lot of noise to wake him up, especially when he was really tired. Then again, she supposed anyone would wake up with someone shaking their shoulder hard enough to almost make their teeth clatter…be she apparently was wrong. She shook him a bit harder.

"Five more minutes, mom," he muttered, turning on the other side, but his only eye snapped open and he yelped when someone suddenly poked his side right on a rather sensitive spot that never failed to make him wince if pressed…and there was only one person who knew about that.

"What the…?" he said groggily, reaching up to rub his eyes – well, his only eye, for he had only one eye to rub and one hand to do so. It took him a few moments to remember where he was and why again, and when he did his face twisted into a scowl. "Was that necessary?" he grunted, shooting an angry glare at his sister as he sat up. His body still ached, but it was more bearable than it had been the previous day.

"Yes," Dr. Director said, looking rather amused "five more minutes? _Mom_?" she mocked him.

Gemini folded his arms, a little embarrassed. "I was still sleeping," he pointed out sulkily "what time is it anyway?"

"Five in the morning."

"_What_?"

"I don't usually have to go this early, but I have to get rid of the jet that brought you here," she said. She would probably set up the autopilot again and send it crashing somewhere, maybe on a desert mountain range – it would open up the hypothesis her brother had been killed in the crash, which could help her to interrupt the search for him sooner. "And of course, there is going to be a lot of extra work at Global Justice since we're officially looking for you," she remarked "and I have to supervise the search, obviously. Ironic, isn't it?"

Gemini instinctively opened his mouth to tell her to not say 'Global Justice' in front of Pepe, but the words died in his throat as he realized that Pepe wasn't there to hear. He felt a sudden pang of concern – how was he doing? Were they treating him properly? He surely had to be terribly tense all the time, surrounded by people in GJ uniforms, he thought uncomfortably. Gemini shook his head, trying to ignore the thought for time being – he better not remind her just how worried for his dog he was: last thing he wanted was giving her another weapon to use against him. "Yes, ironic. And you woke me up because…?"

Dr. Director shrugged and handled him a mug. "Here's you coffee," she said just a little stiffly – it was clear she was trying to be somewhat civil around him since they were going to have to endure each other's presence for a while.

Her brother tried to think of something sarcastic to say, but nothing came to his mind. He just reached for the mug. "Is it…?"

"Straight black, no milk, no sugar," she said with a shrug "I still remember how you like your coffee."

He nodded. "Right," was all he said before sipping some of the hot, bitter liquid "don't tell me you just woke me up to give me coffee."

"Not really," she handled him a pen and notebook "I want you to write down under what names you have at least a couple of your bank accounts: even minor ones, it doesn't matter. We already blocked the one as Steven Smith, by the way – really, you kinda lack of imagination when it comes to fake names."

He raised an eyebrow, ignoring her remark for now. "And I should do so because…?"

"Because this way everybody will keep their attention on them, waiting for you to try retrieving money," Dr. Director just said "and when they'll see you're not showing up, it will be easier to convince them you either died in the crash of the jet you stole, or that you had other sources we didn't know about and managed to elude our controls. Either way, after a while without any sign of you, there will be no suspicions on me when I'll loosen the surveillance on your acquaintances and let you slip lower in the 'most wanted' list – the sooner that can happen, the sooner you can get out of here. But until then, they need at least to have something to chew onto. They must think we're _trying_."

Gemini stared at her for a few moments. "You'd make one heck of a criminal," he said without thinking.

"I guess I'll take it as a compliment," she said coldly, clearly not liking the idea…even though it really _was_ the closest thing to a compliment she had heard from her brother in nearly two decades "now _write_."

Her brother grimaced a little, but he eventually complied and he scribbled down a few names – those were just minor accounts he could do without after all. "Here," he said, taking back he mug and taking another sip of coffee.

She glanced at the names he had written and blinked. "Bertram Wooster? _Bertram_?"

"I had been watching some television series before I opened that account," he said somewhat defensively.

"I see," Dr. Director frowned as she read the other fake names – Gabriel Raymond sounded fairly normal, but that other one… "Do I even want to know about where this Sasha von…something comes from?"

Gemini shook his head, grinning almost sheepishly. "No, you don't want to know about that one."

She decided to keep her curiosity and just nodded. "Fine. I got you some stuff yesterday, unless you want to keep wearing that," she said as she grabbed the keys, barely turning to glance at the prison uniform he was still wearing "just so you don't forget, don't try contacting anyone, don't open the curtains and _don't get out_. And I'd kinda like to find my home still standing when I get back, so don't…are you listening?" she asked, stopping in the doorway, her hand on the knob.

He didn't reply for a few moments, his gaze fixed on the framed picture on the table in the middle of the living room. He could vaguely remember thinking that picture was somewhat familiar before he fell asleep the previous evening, right after getting inside, but he hadn't really taken a closer look. Now he could see why it looked familiar: it was because he knew when that shot had been taken, and because he was in it.

It was the picture of their high school graduation, with their mother standing behind them – he was mildly amused to see how taller than her they both were already – and he felt an odd pang of something he couldn't exactly define as he looked at it. That had probably been one of the best moments in their lives, he thought. Things were so different when that picture had been taken: they had just graduated, got a scholarship for college and felt like nothing could ever go wrong again – damn, it had felt like just _everything_ life could offer was within their reach. It had been before his accident, before college, before they…well…

"Why do you keep it here?" he finally asked, turning to look at her.

Dr. Director's only eye narrowed. "It's none of your concern," she said, but she avoided his gaze, looking rather uneasy.

"Isn't it odd, keeping the picture of your worst enemy in your living room?" he sneered.

She glared at him. "That wasn't my enemy – that was my _brother_," she said coldly before stepping outside, slamming the door shut behind her. Gemini kept staring at the closed door for a few moments, mouth agape, then he glanced back at the picture just for a moment before turning his gaze away, putting down his coffee mug with a grim expression. He didn't feel like finishing it.

* * *

Gemini had expected the time they would have to spend in the same house to be like hell, but he definitely hadn't expected to find out that the worst part would be having to just sit there doing nothing while his sister was away to pretend she was looking for him. Infuriating as dealing with her was – and it was infuriating for both of them, actually, which brought both of them to get even more annoying to each other – the infinite boredom while having to stay alone there with pretty much nothing to do was worse. He had considered getting back to sleep, but he didn't have many chances to fall asleep again anytime soon after taking the coffee…besides, he had slept through most of the previous day already.

Taking a look around the house had only taken ten minutes – it would have taken less if only he hadn't to walk slowly because of his aching body – and he had found nothing interesting. Well, not that he had been looking very hard, but he was sure he wouldn't find anything anyway. While it was clear that whoever lived there didn't spend much time home since everything was very functional and almost impersonal, one would have never thought that was the home of the head of a powerful global organization.

For a moment he had considered trying to read something, but since he had found no books around he had come to the conclusion she probably kept them in her bedroom – and that was the only room in that place he had no intention to get into. Trying to use the computer he had found in her study (it was locked, of course, but that hadn't been much of a problem) hadn't turned out any better since it required a password _and_ a retinal scan to get working – she surely had no intention to share whatever she had there with anyone, let alone with him. And anyway, what could he do with it? It wasn't like he could try contacting anyone, even though he was itching to do so: it would be too risky.

He had eventually decided to just eat something and take a shower before he began thinking of what the heck he could do while stuck there. Breakfast hadn't been anything special, considering that there wasn't much in the kitchen. He had been tempted to just eat the eggs he had found in the fridge, but he had decided to keep them for lunch. He had tried to eat some of those cereals Betty apparently had for breakfast – why would someone have breakfast with cereals anyway? Eggs and bacon would be much better in his opinion. He had eventually thrown away that stuff despite the hunger and went to take a shower, his mood getting worse and worse with each passing minute – but at least, a hot shower would serve to soothe his nerves. Maybe.

The again, maybe not. Gemini scowled as he put on some shirt Betty had given him – yes, it was definitely too tight on his shoulders. He seriously wondered if she had done that in purpose or something to make him uncomfortable – and damn it, he had nearly forgotten how difficult it was buttoning up a shirt with only one hand! Now he _did_ remember why he hadn't worn any shirt with buttons until he got a prosthetic hand, he mused as he finally gave up and decided to leave the last few buttons unbuttoned – tight as it was, it probably wouldn't be comfortable to keep it buttoned up. Still, the fact he couldn't do something as simple as that bothered him. He gave an annoyed glare at his stump.

His mechanical hand had obviously been taken away as soon as he had been captured – nobody would be stupid enough to leave him a potentially dangerous weapon – and they hadn't even bothered to replace it with anything else. Not that it surprised him in the slightest, but he hated it how oddly _lost_ he felt now, with only one hand. It simply made no sense, of course: he could live with one hand, he had done so for years, and in time he had eventually stopped to think of himself as crippled. He did well with one hand, and that was enough.

_Yes, it was enough…until Betty saved the lives of something like a hundred people and became a heroine to everyone: with everyone treating her as if she were some kind of goddess while you were pretty much flushing your own life down a toilet, your resentment towards her grew even more. And you began to feel crippled again, to think that you could have done even better than her in the same situation if only you had two hands, if only you could get enough money to afford it. Do you even realize how much you let her affect you?_

Gemini shook his head. "No," he said aloud "she never had anything to do with it. I was given a chance to make money, and I seized it. Nothing more," he muttered, but he didn't sound convincing at his own ears "it had _nothing_ to do with her!"

_Don't try to fool yourself, the point was never the money alone – you decided to go against everything you had ever been taught to value so you could use the money to get a prosthetic hand…and the main reason why you wanted to have a hand back was to show everyone you could be better than your perfect little sister, to show her and everyone else you could be better than her if only you weren't one hand short._

"That was just the beginning," he muttered "I had…other reasons."

And indeed, after accepting the job Jack had offered him he had found out illegality isn't that bad after all if you can get a profit from it – damn it, after a new hand he could even get an actual car rather than that old excuse of a pick-up held together with spit, duct tape and prayer he had. For the first time in his life he could get all the money he wanted without having to struggle with some stupid part-time job. It was a good deal.

_And still, the point wasn't money – you did it all because it gave you back all your confidence, and because you wanted to prove yourself better than your sister. And then, after the fight that costed you your eye, you kept going down that path because you wanted to make things harder for her. You wanted to humiliate her, to defeat her on her own ground, to put her in her place. This is how you ended up as the man you are._

"No."

_She was right: everything you did in your life revolved around her one way or another. _

"NO!"

There was a sound of breaking glass and then a sudden bolt of pain exploded in his only hand, and he had to grit his teeth together to not scream, his only eye tightly shut. As the pain subsided slightly, he realized what the cause had been: he had punched the mirror without even realizing it. The mirror had broken – seven years of bad luck, he thought for a moment, and he almost laughed for no actual reason – and his hand was bleeding, some small pieces of glass sticking out from his knuckles. He withdrew his hand to take a closer look, the pained grimace of his face turning into a surprised and somewhat worried expression as the realization sank in mind – he had punched a mirror with no reason.

_What the hell was I thinking?_

_You weren't thinking at all._

Gemini swallowed before looking around for something he could use to stop the bleeding, then he picked up the shirt of the prison uniform he had discarded before taking a shower, somehow ripped away a sleeve – it was so easy to rip that he wondered if they made that stuff out of paper – and managed to wrap it around his hand, yanking it tight with his teeth. At least it was already stopping bleeding: those were just minor cuts that would heal in a couple of days. The thought of removing the pieces of glass didn't even occur to him: how could he do so without another hand anyway?

He was going to have to ask Betty to either get him some prosthetic hand or to remove the glasses herself, and the thought made him feel nearly sick. As if having to hide in her house, sleep on her couch and eat her leftovers wasn't humiliating enough. Gemini sighed and leaned against the wall, waiting for the pain in his hand to subside. What in the world had gotten in him? It wasn't alright losing control like that, it wasn't alright at all. He snarled. "It's her fault. It's all her fault!" he muttered to no one in particular.

_No, it's your fault: you let her affect you. Again._

Sheldon Director couldn't think of anything he could retort to that.

* * *

He was sitting on the couch, boring himself to tears while watching some stupid commercial and seriously considering the idea to try eating some piece of furniture to make his stomach stop grumbling when she got back home. Gemini stiffened as he heard her unlocking the front door and walking in, but he didn't turn to look at her – he just kept staring blankly at the TV and pretending he was interested in some Smarty Mart discount of…ladies underwear. What a wonderful timing, he through with a grimace.

Dr. Director, however, didn't even noticed what was going on the screen: she had been glaring at her brother, expecting some to say something, and her gaze had been drawn to the makeshift bandage around his hand. "Sheldon," she said slowly "what happened to your hand?"

He shrugged. "You happened to be there when it was blown up," he said casually, pretending to not get what she meant. He tried to casually hide his hand behind his back, and he winced as a slight brush against his back pushed one of the shards deeper. Alright, maybe it hadn't been such a great idea.

She didn't seem in the right mood for his comebacks. She never was, really. "Your _other_ hand."

"I had an accident. You might need a new mirror in the bathroom – it depends on how much you like looking at yourself every morning. And from what I can remember, you're far from a pretty sight early in the morning," he taunted.

Dr. Director took a deep breath, mentally counting to ten. "What kind of accident?"

"Uh…" Gemini thought quickly "I slipped, and hit the mirror. I had raised my hand to stop the fall, and here it is," he lifted his hand, still wrapped in the ripped sleeve of the prisoner uniform "what the heck do you make this stuff with anyway? It took a moment to rip it."

She didn't seem convinced, but she simply shrugged. "I didn't recall you being so clumsy," she said sharply, then she glanced at his hand "and you could have bothered to use some proper medication. Did you at lest remove any splinters you got?"

"And _how_, exactly?" he snapped, holding up his stump.

Dr. Director gritted her teeth in annoyance, trying to keep herself from replying to his rough retort – if they were to start arguing now, there would be no stopping it – but she had to admit he had a point. She took another deep breath. "Alright," she finally said before stomping upstairs, grabbing the first aid kit and getting back in the living room "let me take a look."

_Oh, no. Not from you. _

"It's doing fine," Gemini protested, trying to take his hand away from her grasp.

"Oh, _really_?" her hand shot out quickly to roughly grab his injuried one, causing him to let out a pained yelp "this doesn't seem _fine_ to me. These shards aren't going to evaporate, you know."

Her twin glared at her resentfully, but he didn't say anything and he didn't move as she sat next to him, unwrapped the cloth he had put around his hand and threw it aside.

"Will I still be able to play the piano?" he asked sarcastically.

Dr. Director frowned as she finally took a look at his hand – it wasn't as bad as it could have been, still… "It wasn't an accident," she scowled, turning to glare at him "what in the world made you think punching a mirror would be a good idea?"

He blinked. How could she…? "I didn't--"

"All the cuts are on your knuckles," she pointed out "if you had actually slipped at used your hand to stop the fall, they would be on your palm. What the hell were you _thinking_?" she asked, and for a moment she almost seemed more worried than enraged. Almost.

"I…" he hesitated, trying to think of some plausible excuse and finding none "it's none of your business," he finally said somewhat weakly.

"Don't be stupid, you're my--" she abruptly trailed off, and she bit her lower lip before correcting herself "you smashed _my_ mirror. I guess it _is_ my business."

"It's not!" he retorted, pulling away his hand "if that _mirror_ is your only problem, I'll pay for it as soon as I get away from here, alright?"

Dr. Director stared at him for a moment, startled by his outburst, then she regained control and reached for his hand again, this time a little more carefully. "Don't be a stubborn idiot," she said quietly "let me take a look."

Gemini blinked and opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He shut his mouth and silently turned away as Betty took his hand in hers again and examined it for a few moments. "It shouldn't take much," she finally said as she began to carefully pull out the shards of glass from his hand, taking care of the biggest ones first.

"Ow! Watch it, that hurts!" Gemini protested.

"I thought you were a tough guy," she snapped, and he grumbled something intelligible before turning back to the other side – one point for her. "Now keep still, or it will hurt more. It's your fault anyway: you got the splinters deeper with that bandage," she bit her lower lip "why did you do it?"

"If you can tell how else was I supposed to stop the bleeding, go ahead," he retorted sulkily, forgetting that making her angry while she was pulling out the pieces of glass from his only hand wasn't the smartest idea ever.

"That's not what I meant," Dr. Director replied quietly while pulling out another splinter, still focused on his hand "why did you punch that mirror in the first place?"

Gemini hesitated only for a moment before sneering. "Maybe I just wanted to break some of your stuff – like when I cut off Baby Curly Locks' hair, remem-- _ouch_!" he yelped as her grip on his hand tightened, mentally cursing himself for reminding his sister about that stupid doll.

She forced herself to relax her grip, taking a deep breath. "By _punching_ it? It would make you even more stupid than I thought."

Gemini merely snorted at her remark.

"Why did you do it?" she insisted.

"Because…" he began, and for a few moments he tried to think of anything he could say – he definitely wasn't going to let her know until what point she could affect him, make him lose control – then he scowled "just because," he finally snapped "and now, if you don't mind, I don't feel like getting through an interrogation. I already told you I'm going to pay that darn mirror back."

"Forget that stupid mirror, it's _you_ I'm worried about!" she nearly shouted, taking him by surprise. He opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't know what to say. It happened awfully often lately.

Dr. Director sighed, shaking her head somewhat awkwardly before turning her attention back to his hand. Gemini expected her to ask again why had he punched that blasted mirror, but much to his surprise she didn't ask anything: she just kept removing the splinters, more carefully than he had dared to hope. He winced a little a few times, but he made no other move. Neither of them spoke for a while.

"I saw your dog," she finally said "it's fine, aside from the fact it's neurotic."

"He's not neurotic – he suffers from PTSD!"

"What?"

"Post-Traumatic Stress--"

"I know what it is, it's just…it's a _dog_, Sheldon!"

"Well, dogs can suffer from PTSD too!" he protested "check if you don't believe me! And it was your fault!"

Dr. Director nearly groaned, though taking a mental note to check if dogs could _really_ suffer from PTSD. "And how was that my fault?"

"That guy you sent in one of my bases as a mole – do you remember what a mess he did to get away when I caught him communicating with you?"

She grinned a little before turning her attention back on his hand and pulled out another splinter. "You mean when he blew up half of your base in Alaska before fleeing with _your_ helicopter?"

"Yeah, _that_," he grunted, not really wanting to dwell into that episode that much "but whatever – the point is that Pepe was still a pup, and he was nearly caught in the explosion! It traumatized him!"

"Hey, you should have known better than keeping it there. A dog shouldn't be in the base of an illegal organization meant to bring chaos in the whole globe, you know. Why didn't you leave it with its mother at mom's place anyway?"

Gemini was about to reply, but he caught himself just in time – there were a lot of things he didn't want her to know, and one of those was the fact that after spending so many years with at least a dog with him he would feel _lonely_ without. "That's beside the point! If you hadn't sent that mole, nothing would have-- ow!"

"Almost done," Dr. Director said as she pulled out the last splinter "keep still, this will burn a little."

"I know how that works," he muttered before grimacing as she pressed some peroxide-soaked wadding on the cuts. He forced himself to not wince.

"I hope you're not going to do anything that stupid again," she finally spoke and reached for clean bandages "especially since it's the only hand you've got."

He grunted. "Yeah, I noticed."

"I might be able to give you another hand in a day or two. Without weapons, obviously, but it would be better than nothing," she said as she finished wrapping the bandages "and I'll also make sure you dog is taken elsewhere so it won't have to see people wearing GJ uniforms all time…_if_ you stop smashing my stuff, of course. Deal?"

Gemini glanced at her, but he quickly turned his gaze away. "Deal," he said somewhat grudgingly, though making no real effort to pull back his hand this time.

She merely nodded before releasing his hand and changing subject. "Did you eat something?"

Her brother snorted. "Barely. Your fridge is emptier than your head," he said sharply, as if to made up for that earlier moment of weakness.

Dr. Director chose to ignore the childish insult. "You know, in case you didn't notice I'm rather busy most times. And there is a _reason_ why I didn't have time to get groceries lately – you," she pointed out, sliding aside so she would be sitting on the opposite side of the couch from him and glancing at the TV "you have no idea of what a mess you caused with the whole Ron Factor thing. And now your escape is giving me a heck of a lot of work that I could easily avoid by just handing you over. I wouldn't be complaining if I were you."

Gemini was about to retort, but he eventually shut his mouth without speaking. He stayed silent for a minute or two. "I didn't _ask_ you to get me out," he finally said somewhat sulkily, turning to glance at the TV again, but there was nothing interesting going on – just commercials.

"Yeah, right – but you accepted the offer," she pointed out.

"It's not like I had much choice, did I?"

"Well, you could have gone to prison," she suggested with a smirk.

He grunted. "And losing the chance to get you back later? You wish."

There was a brief silence as they absentmindedly watched some commercials and then the news – it looked like Drakken had tried once again to take over the world…predictably enough it hadn't worked because of Team Possible, and he had only avoided imprisonment because his sidekick had dragged him away just in time. Go figure.

"Sheldon?"

"What?"

"Are you going to stop giving me the silent treatment to ask for your dinner, or I'll have to listen to your stomach's rumblings until you faint or something?"

"You don't have to stay here to listen to _anything_, you know," he snapped, slightly embarrassed – he hadn't thought she could actually hear his stomach rumbling. But what the heck, he was _hungry_…!

"Hey, we're on _my_ couch and that's _my_ TV. If I want to stay here and watch TV, I'll stay here and watch TV – just be thankful I'm not kicking you out of _my_ living room," she said sharply, and Gemini noticed she was chewing something. Before he could speak, she handled him a brown paper bag. "Your sandwiches," she just said, faintly hoping he would have enough sense to just eat it without any further discussion: she was dead tired and definitely wasn't up for a fight.

Thankfully he didn't seem up for it either, or he was just too hungry. He just took the paper bag with a sulky expression, which actually became much less sulky as he took a bite of a turkey sandwich, but he tried – with very little success – to hide it, causing him to chuckle in mild amusement. "You could at least try to keep your mouth shut while you chew," she muttered, but he didn't hear her, or pretended he hadn't. They stayed silent throughout the rest of the news.

"…pull out bed."

"Uh?" Gemini blinked as he realized his sister had just spoken.

"The couch – it's a pull out bed," she repeated "I bet that would be more comfortable than just sleeping on the couch as it is now. I'll give you a pillow and clean sheets later."

"What? Why didn't you tell me yesterday?" he protested, thinking of the way his back had ached that morning.

"Considering that you tried to attack me, I wasn't exactly in the mood," she remarked. Gemini grumbled something, but he didn't protest any further: he just shrugged and glanced away. "You know, I wouldn't mind getting a 'thank you' out of you sometime," she said with an odd mixture of annoyance at his attitude and amusement at his grumpy expression upon knowing he could have spared himself a backache.

"When you'll start treating me as your older brother, I will," he replied.

"Yeah, right. Keep dreaming," she paused "does that mean you'd _really_ thank me if I treated you like an older brother anyway?"

"Well, no. But it was worth a try."


	15. Calm before the storm

"Is there any way we can get to eat anything that isn't from some take away?" Gemini grumbled, swallowing the last bite. Fine, it wasn't that bad, but it got tiring after a while.

"When this search for you around the globe will leave me _five minutes_ to go buy any groceries, we will," Dr. Director snapped "if this isn't good enough for you, you could always go out to get the food and then cook it yourself, if you can manage to do that without being spotted or caught. Or you could ask me to hand you over – I would get a break, and you could try out the world-famous prison menu," she added, clearly annoyed. She spent half of her day coordinating that useless search, the other half taking care of all the rest of the trouble that kept happening around the globe and any spare second she got struggling with paperwork in her office – there were moments she thought she would _drown_ in paperwork. When was she supposed to have the time to buy groceries and then find the strength to actually cook after a day like that?

Gemini snorted. "No need to bite, you know," he said, putting away his empty dish.

"Then just shut up, I'm sick of hearing your complaints," she retorted, glancing at the TV. He seemed about to say something, but he shut his mouth without speaking as he noticed how tired she looked – teasing her wouldn't even be fun. He would have usually felt smug upon knowing he was giving his sister such a headache, but this time it was different – she was keeping him hidden in her house, not really searching for him. It definitely took away the fun.

"It's not like I'm having fun either, you know," he finally said somewhat sulkily.

"Yeah, I'm sure sitting here doing nothing the whole day doing nothing is awfully stressing," she said sarcastically.

"It surely is _boring_," he pointed out with a scowl "I would like to see you in my place."

"At least you're not in prison."

"And how is _this_ different from prison?"

"You know, you wouldn't be in this situation if only--" she trailed off and took a deep breath, not really feeling like starting a fight now – she was _tired_. "Is the hand working?" she asked to change subject.

Gemini nodded. "Yes," he said, flexing the fingers of the prosthetic hand she had given him a couple of days before. It didn't have any weapon in it and wasn't quite as good as his old one, but it could do for now.

"I _still_ wouldn't mind getting a thank you out of you, you know," she said, though knowing the fact he hadn't been complaining on how his old one was certainly better was probably the closest thing to an actual 'thank you' she could ever get out of him.

"When pigs will fly," he grumbled, but there was a hint of amusement beneath the annoyance – he didn't like to admit it, but that hand was definitely useful and it spared him the frustration of having to do everything with one hand...and she didn't _have_ to give him that hand, he mused uncomfortably.

Dr. Director didn't seem to acknowledge his reply. "What about the other one?"

"It's healing," he said, glancing down at it. It still hurt a little when he clenched it into a fist, but the cuts had almost completely healed. It wouldn't have healed as quickly if she hadn't taken care of it, he realized. He uneasily cleared his throat, and she gave him a quizzical look.

"What?"

He hesitated just for a moment, still glancing at his hand. "Nothing," was all he finally said, turning away.

Dr. Director glanced down at his healing hand as well, then she gave something resembling a smile. "You're welcome."

Gemini blinked, then he just scoffed. "I wasn't about to thank you, you know," he pointed out.

She shrugged, clearly amused. "Whatever," she said innocently. Her brother grimaced, but she hadn't actually said anything he could complain about, so he just shrugged and turned his attention back to the movie that was starting on the screen…a rather familiar one.

"Isn't that the same James Bond movie we watched with the others on our birthday? Right before graduation."

Dr. Director frowned in thought just for a moment, then she nodded. "Yes, it's this one," she said, smiling just a little "I had nearly forgotten what it was about. It's been…man, over twenty years."

"Starting to feel old?"

"Not as much as you should."

"Did you just admit I'm _older _then you are?"

"I'm just saying you should feel old, period," she smirked before turning her attention to the movie again. She smiled as she watched an action scene. "Do you remember how Brian nearly chocked on his pop corn during this scene?"

"Yeah, I clapped near his ear when the explosion happened on the screen – he was one heck of a back liner, but he could be a real wussy," Gemini chuckled at the memory "and what about Linda?"

Dr. Director groaned. "God, don't remind me. She spent the whole movie drooling over James Bond."

"Yes, and Ned kept fuming all the time," her brother recalled "he was so busy being jealous of a fictional character that he didn't even notice I ate half of his pop corn and switched his can of coke with my empty one. Who would have guessed he would get her eventually?"

"Well, I did," she pointed out with a knowing smirk, then she turned serious "you weren't at the wedding."

"I didn't want to meet you," he said, and much to her surprise there was no rage in his voice, not really: he was simply stating a fact "I told them I was on a business trip and sent them a gift. They invited me for dinner a couple of weeks later, when they got back from their honeymoon."

"Yes, they told me," Dr. Director said. She hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "They ask me about you every time we meet, you know. They must think you're the busiest man on Earth by now – that, or that I eventually killed you and disposed of your corpse. They all used to make bets on who would win each fight we got into, remember?" she said with a laugh, and for a brief moment Gemini nearly caught himself musing on how much younger she looked those few times he saw her laughing.

He laughed as well. "Sure I do – and if they wanted to win, they would bet on me."

"_Right_," she said sarcastically "like that one time you ended up face first in a mud puddle?"

"I stumbled, that's all – it wasn't you to make me fall!"

"Yeah, right. It was just a coincidence you stumbled on my foot, I didn't do it on purpose _at all_…"

"Alright, fine – but it was just that once!"

"Oh, really? And what about that time we went to the beach? I grabbed you underwater and you began screaming like--"

"I wasn't screaming, I was just--"

"…shrieking?"

"People had seen _sharks_ a few miles away from there that same month," he protested "you wouldn't have found it amusing either!"

"This doesn't change the fact you began shrieking like a girl."

Gemini glared at her. "Do you have any idea of how annoying you are?"

"More or less. But at least the others had fun – I almost thought Brian would never be able to stop laughing and catch his breath."

He gave something similar to a nostalgic smile. "Yes, they did. We put up quite a scene each time, uh?" he said, apparently unaware of the fact they still did put up quite a scene any time they met…with the difference that now it could involve weapons, explosions and worldwide organizations.

"Well, if anything they never got bored," she said "we had a good time back them," she added quietly, faintly wondering how much time had it been since last time they had talked like that without actually starting a fight. It had to be almost twenty years, since when they had made one of the worst mistakes of their lives. Dr. Director bit her lower lip at the thought.

Oblivious of her musings, Gemini nodded. "Yes," was all he said "it was fun."

There was a brief silence as they both tried to ignore the sudden, odd melancholy that had suddenly engulfed them. "I better go to sleep," Dr. Director said, suddenly getting up "unlike someone, I _happen_ to have some stuff to do tomorrow."

"How nice," he scoffed, his gaze fixed on the TV "couldn't you get someone else to do your work anyway? Don't tell me there is no one else that could take your place should you be unable to work. And don't you ever take a vacation?" he asked. Even though he would never admit it her company was still better than sitting there doing nothing all day, especially in those rare moments she wasn't being frustrating – the past few minutes had been almost pleasant, he mused briefly before he realized what he was thinking and quickly chased away the thought.

"It's not so easy," she said coldly "besides, I have to be the one to lead the operations to find you, because it's what everybody expects me to do. Can you even picture how hard it is for someone related to a criminal to do what I do? I had to work hard to convince everyone that the fact you're my brother wouldn't affect my devotion to the organization. I can't take risks now," she added and he found himself shifting under her gaze – she already _was_ taking risks by hiding him.

"Whatever," he muttered sulkily, turning away "at least I won't have to stand your presence all the time."

"Didn't you say you get bored here?"

"It's _still_ better than dealing with you," he retorted as she shook her head with an amused smirk and left the room. But, truth to be told, as he watched her getting upstairs he almost felt lonely. Almost.

* * *

In the few days following that conversation, the situation was unusually quiet – it looked like their shaky truce would hold for a while longer. Not that they were being that much friendlier than they usually were to each other, but at least they weren't looking for excuses to fight every moment, which was at least a relief for her nerves: last thing she needed after a tiring day was having to fight with he brother over anything.

Not that he would completely stop being annoying, of course.

"How do you manage to eat that stuff?" Gemini asked with a disgusted expression on his face, glancing at the cereals she was having for breakfast.

"Eating is generally a good idea if you don't want to starve," she just said, ignoring his remark "I didn't hear you getting up."

"Did I have to announce my presence or something?"

"You could keep sleeping until I left and spare me a headache," she pointed out, but she shrugged as she gestured to the fridge "there is still some bacon and a sandwich. You better keep the sandwich for lunch."

"And what about dinner? More sandwiches?" he asked sarcastically.

"It depends."

"On what?"

"On how much trouble is there going to be around the globe to keep me in the headquarters and on how much I'll feel like cooking for you as well," she said "then again, I could just go to some restaurant and have a nice dinner without having to cook, and then bring you a sandwich later. How does that sound?"

"I was just _asking_," he grunted.

"Don't be asking," was the reply, but she didn't seem really bothered as she finally got up "if your…colleagues don't make too much of a mess today, I might be able to get back in time to buy some groceries and make something similar to a decent dinner after I'm done supervising the search. I wouldn't bet on it thought."

"Still looking for me? I'm flattered," he said with a grin.

"Don't be – there isn't much to be proud on being one of the most wanted men on the planet," Dr. Director pointed out sharply.

Gemini shrugged. "It's a matter of point of view."

She sighed. "I see. Don't do anything stupid while I'm away."

"Don't worry, I'll be too busy boring myself to death," he said sulkily as she left. Hadn't he been so busy sulking, he would have probably notice that between the noise of the front door opening and then closing there had been a few moments of silence, as if his sister had stood in silence in the doorway for a few instants more than necessary before finally leaving.

* * *

"I guess this means you appreciated the dinner," Dr. Director said, raising an eyebrow as she watched her brother eating "do you want to lick the dish clean while you're at it?"

"Very funny," he grumbled, but it was clear the meal had mellowed him: he had always tended to be less inclined to start a fight when he had just filled his stomach with roast beef, she recalled with a slightly amused grin. "What?" he asked as he noticed she was still looking at him.

She shrugged. "Nothing – I was waiting to see if you would give in to the temptation and actually lick the dish," she mocked him.

"Keep waiting," Gemini retorted, folding his arms and leaning back against the chair "it's not like I like your cooking or something, you know," he pointed out, a little too vehemently to be believable "that didn't improve at all."

"Oh, really?" Dr. Director asked sarcastically, meaningfully glancing at his empty dish.

"Yeah, _really_. I was just hungry, that's all. And I like roast beef."

"Tell me something I don't know – there is a reason why we ate that today, you know."

Gemini blinked. "What?" he asked, bewildered by the thought his sister would actually cook that particular dish because she knew it was his favourite. Dr. Director seemed a little embarrassed.

"I just didn't want to hear you complaining too much," she said almost defensively, inwardly wondering why exactly had she really bothered to cook something she knew he liked while she could cook anything else of her liking. She glanced around at the kitchen, feeling suddenly uncomfortable: had anyone told her she and her brother would willingly have dinner together in her kitchen without even their mother around to make them only a few days before, she would have probably wondered what drugs were they on and get them arrested for further investigation.

It wasn't the first time they ate in the same room since when he was there, but the other times they ate some take away stuff on her couch: they had to stay in the same room because there was only one TV and they both wanted to watch it – she was pretty sure the only reason why they hadn't ended up trying to kill each other every time was that they both watched the same stuff. This time, however, it was different: they had eaten in the kitchen, with no TV. There was no reason why they should willingly eat in the same room – why hadn't her brother taken his dish to eat in the living room? Why hadn't _she_ taken her meal elsewhere?

Dr. Director shook her head and turned to glance at the clock. "I have to go," she said, getting up and leaving her dish on the table – she could always put that stuff in the dishwasher later after all "you know the whole 'let me find my house still standing' drill, don't you?"

Gemini frowned, not giving any sign of hearing her last words. "Where are you going?"

"Out," was all she said with a shrug.

"Where?" he repeated, this time a little louder, making her turn to glance at him.

"I'm getting out with some people – that's all you need to say," she said coldly "now, if you don't mind--"

"Well, I _do_ mind! Who are you getting out with?"

She took a deep breath. "Why should you care?" she asked quietly, but there was a sharp edge in her voice that warned him to just drop it. Gemini knew her too well to not get the hint, but he chose to ignore it.

"Because I'm your older brother and I want you to tell me," he said stubbornly, his eye narrowing.

Dr. Director glared at him. "First off, you're _not_ my older brother. And most of all--"

"I am! By four minutes!"

She growled, but she decided to not let it distract her for now. "Whatever. Anyway, unlike a certain someone, I happen to have something called a _life_ outside work. And guess what? You're not part of it," she said, folding her arms "whatever I do and whoever I see is none of your business," she added. The most rational part of her brain was asking her to just tell him she would simply go to an after dinner drink to a friend's house for her birthday so they could just drop it, but the idea he wanted to control her like that annoyed her too much for her to give in.

"It is! I'm your older--"

"Oh, _please_," she snapped "this was ridiculous when we were kids, and now it's downright pathetic."

Gemini gritted his teeth, but he didn't listen. "I said I want you to tell me where are you going and with whom," he nearly ordered. He couldn't quite tell what made him so eager to know it: in those last two decades they barely met personally a few times each year, mostly when their mother invited both of them over, and never once he had even wondered what she could be doing in her free time. But now the idea his sister would leave him there to bore himself to death to get out with…hell knew who just made him feel furious. "And what time are you getting back anyway?"

"_Enough_," Dr. Director snapped "I'm going wherever I want, with whoever I want and I'm getting back whenever the hell I feel like it – I'm not your little sister, Sheldon. I've _never _been. So shut up and stop behaving like you were my bo--" she abruptly trailed off, her only eye widening at the thought. She glanced at her brother, and she wasn't surprised to see he had gotten a little pale as well at the thought.

It had been years since last time she had actually allowed herself to think about that night her certainties and innocence had shattered. Dr. Director swallowed and looked away, an unpleasant sensation in her stomach. When she finally spoke again, her voice was as cold as ice. "I'm going – you better not wait for me awake," was all she said before turning and left the room.

Gemini stood still as he watched her leaving, but he didn't try to ask her anything. He didn't dare to.

* * *

Dr. Director was relieved as she unlocked the front door to see the lights were off. If she could be silent enough as she walked through the living room, she wouldn't risk to wake up her brother – she didn't feel like confronting him anytime soon, the thought, silently walking in…and then she froze as she heard him speaking from the couch.

"You're back," he simply stated, his voice flat.

Dr. Director swallowed, an unpleasant sensation in her stomach, but she managed to hide it. She glanced at the pull out bed, squinting in the dim light, and she managed to see Gemini sitting there. "Yes, seems like it. Have you stayed awake the whole time to make sure I got back home in one piece? How touching," she said coldly, walking past him "but I have to warn you I don't feel like going through a--"

"I couldn't sleep."

His voice was completely flat, devoid of any kind of emotion. She stopped in her tracks and turned to glance at him over her shoulder. The light of a lamplight across the street made it past the curtains just enough to let her see him – he was still sitting on the edge of the bed, motionless, staring down at the floor. She hesitated just for a moment before speaking again. "Well, you don't have many chances to sleep if you keep sitting," she said sharply. She waited for some retort, but none came – Gemini didn't give any sign of hearing her. She bit her lower lip. "Sheldon?"

He finally raised his gaze to meet hers, and she was astonished to see his expression had hardened. "Where have you been?"

Dr. Director drew in a deep breath. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because."

"_Why_?" she growled.

Gemini opened his mouth to speak, but he closed it without uttering one single word and turned away. "I'm the older brother," he finally said after a long, heavy silence, but his voice lacked of all the vehemence he usually put in that statement – it was oddly weak now, as if he was repeating it over and over again to himself just to convince himself it actually was the only reason…and maybe he really had told that to himself countless times while she was away.

Dr. Director stared at him for a few moments, bewildered and somewhat _scared_, then she clenched her jaw. "_Sleep_, Sheldon," was all she said before getting upstairs and into her room, closing the door behind her. In the living room Gemini took a deep breath before letting himself fall back on the mattress.

He already knew he wouldn't be able to fall asleep.

* * *

Dr. Director didn't get any more sleep than her brother did that night. She just kept staring at the ceiling, her thoughts incessantly turning to her brother's odd behaviour. No, it wasn't just odd – it was _worrying_. No matter how much he tried to feed her or himself that whole 'older brother' crap, it was obvious to both of them that the reason why not knowing what she had been doing in her free time infuriated him was different…and the mere thought was enough to nearly make her feel sick.

Everything had gone downhill so _quickly_ this time: things seemed to be going reasonably well, and then everything had changed in just a few instants_. _It had been just like before – the unreasonable jealousy, the denial, the attempts to make themselves believe nothing was really wrong…it was just like what had happened twenty years before, all over again. Dr. Director bit his lower lip as she allowed herself to think about that cursed night for the second time in only a few hours. She had thought she had gotten over it, but now she wasn't so sure anymore.

_Of course you haven't, you never did. Not really. You influenced each other's lives so much that now you cannot even picture existing without having the each other to fight._

_No, it's not true. I don't need--_

_You need to have him as an enemy to fight because it makes you forget he's your brother, it makes you think you really got over everything that happened. Your work became your life because it makes you feel better, because it makes you feel proud, and you need it. And you know what? You wouldn't need it all if you had really gotten over what happened like you claim you did. Next time you want to give someone a lecture about not being able to let go and move on, look into the mirror – because somewhere, there is still a girl who cannot even stand to look at her own reflection. _

The thought of how horribly guilty and dirty she had felt that morning twenty years back made her flinch. She tried to chase away the thought, but for some reason she couldn't: it was like her mind just wouldn't allow to take a break until she actually thought about that cursed night.

_Maybe it's really time to do so. But maybe it's not that night you should think about. Try to think of what happened the next morning, when you realized what had happened. When you and Sheldon began loathing each other's presence so much that you couldn't even look at each other anymore. That's where everything went downhill, isn't it?_

She shut her eye tightly at the thought. Yes, even though their relationship had been strained for a while already _that_ was when things had truly started to go downhill, and over the years things had only gotten worse as their resentment towards each other had kept growing while they tried to get over their own guilt and shame for what had happened. And before she knew it they had both lost an eye and had become sworn enemies to each other.

_Have you ever thought you wouldn't have come to this point if only you handled it differently back then? If you behaved like adults instead of blaming each other to feel better? If you had even tried to speak about what was going on in your minds _before_ you made that mistake?_

_But we weren't adults. We were little more than kids._

_I know. But don't you think things could have been different?_

Dr. Director grimaced. Yes, maybe things could have been different; they could have just gotten over it if only they had been mature enough to understand that neither of them--

Her only eye suddenly snapped open.

_Go ahead, finish that thought. You were so close._

_No._

_Afraid of the truth?_

_I know what the truth is!_

_Then say what you were about to say._

"…neither of us was entirely to blame," she whispered. It was true, she realized, thinking back at her brother's mortified expression when he looked at her that morning twenty year before. He had to feel just as scared, confused, and guilty as she felt. And she had seen it clearly: she had just refused to acknowledge it, desperate as she was to blame him, and the only way Sheldon had to somehow get over his own guilt was blaming her in return. She had been unfair to him, Dr. Director realized, a sudden lump in her throat.

_You have been unfair to each other. What happened cannot be blamed on only one of you. It was both of you, always._

Dr. Director sighed, feeling an odd sense of weariness. If only they could understand it back then…!

_You couldn't: you were both too young, too scared, too confused. But enough with that, there is no changing what happened. You better concern yourself with what could happen now. You've been close these days, much closer than you have been in nearly two decades. You haven't been this close since when-- _

The idea was enough to make her blood run cold.

_No, it's not true. It won't happen again. It can't happen again!_

_You saw the look on his face while he insisted to know where you were going and with whom – he was exactly like that when…when it all happened. You must have noticed! _

She bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood, a sense of dread spreading in her chest. Yes, she had noticed, still… "He wouldn't dare," she said to the empty room.

_Are you sure?_

No, Dr. Director was terrified to realize. She wasn't sure.


	16. Denial, take two

"Well, wonderful," Dr. Director muttered to no one in particular as she saw the raindrops splattering on the window – the first Sunday she got to stay away from work in months, and it was raining. She supposed that meant that Murphy's law wasn't just a theory after all…not to mention that she would rather be working that very same moment than staying home with her brother. Especially after what had happened the previous night.

She let out a groan at the thought, and for a moment she actually considering getting out whether it was raining or not – it would allow her to avoid Sheldon after all – but she immediately chased away the thought. No matter what, she wasn't going to let his mere presence dictate her actions in any way: she couldn't take the risk of giving him a weapon to use against her. She would keep behaving as if nothing had happened until the moment he would leave, that was all.

Still, she couldn't help but feeling frustrated as she glanced at the clock – it was almost midday, and that lazy idiot was still sleeping in her living room, keeping her from watching TV in her own home.

_He's not sleeping – you know perfectly that he probably didn't sleep one single minute. He's just pretending to be still sleeping because he doesn't want to confront you._

She gritted her teeth. Even though there was a part of her mind that would rather avoid meeting him, she still had no intention to modify her habits because of him. He could go sulking in the pantry for all she cared, she thought as she walked inside the living room and opened the shutters, letting the sunlight – as much sunlight you can get in a rainy day – inside.

Gemini didn't move, his back turned to her.

"Enough with this crap, I know you're awake. Get up."

"And you get to order me around because…?" he growled, not even turning to look at her.

"Because this is my living room and I want to _use_ it. If you want to keep sulking elsewhere, it's fine with me: the less I have to see you, the better it is. But now _move_, I need my couch," she said coldly.

He stayed unmoving, still facing the wall.

"_Sheldon_."

"Don't call me like that!" Gemini suddenly snapped, abruptly turning to face her, and she scowled a little as she saw the dark rings under his eyes – well, the only eye she could see. It was obvious it had been a restless night for him as well. "The name is Gemini!"

Dr. Director's only eye narrowed. "What happened, you finally remembered the ridiculous name you chose for yourself?" she asked "it didn't seem to bother you being called with you own name until yesterday!"

Gemini actually cringed at her retort – it was true, she had been calling him with his true name for days and he hadn't even minded – before he scowled in anger. "Well, whatever – I want you to forget that name from now on!"

"I'll be glad to forget everything about you once I can finally kick you out of here," she shouted back "now _get up_."

He growled, but he didn't add anything: he just got up and stomped upstairs. Dr. Director sighed wearily as she heard the door of the bathroom slamming shut – it was going to be a long day.

* * *

Gemini gave a frustrated snort as he slammed the door shut behind him, his hands clenched into fists. Pity his sister still hadn't gotten a new mirror, because he wouldn't have minded smashing _something_, he thought with a grimace. Like, say, her _head_, he thought with a scowl.

Just who the hell did she think she was? She couldn't treat him like that! She had no right! She was his younger sister, and she just had no _right_…!

"No right!" he snarled aloud, but a lot less forcefully than he could have had – he hadn't slept one single moment that night, tossing and turning all the time, and he was _tired_.

_Yeah, and you certainly didn't stay awake the whole night because of how she talked to you this morning. This isn't what is driving you mad, is it?_

Gemini shook his head forcefully. "It's still all her fault!" he said to the empty bathroom "she should have told me where she was going! Nothing would have happened if she only told me!" he growled, but he couldn't sound convincing to his own ears. It was a lie, and he knew it. The real problem wasn't whether Betty told him where she was going and with whom – the problem was the fact itself that the mere idea she would get out with someone he didn't know had made him feel furious and, he dreaded to admit, irrationally jealous at the thought she could spend her time with another man, with anyone that was not _him_.

He had felt…exactly the way he had felt twenty years earlier, when he – they – had made the worst mistake of their lives.

_And looks like you just can't learn from your mistakes, can you?_

_It's not the same thing! It doesn't have to be the same thing! It's just…I'm the older brother!_ _I'm…!_

_That excuse didn't work twenty years ago, let alone now._

Gemini let out a groan and shut his only eye, his back resting against the door. He was still struggling to find an explanation, _any_ kind of explanation for what had happened the previous evening, for the fury and _jealousy_ that gnawed at him even now, but he knew it was useless. He knew exactly what the reason was…but it was still just has hard to accept as it had been before.

"No, it can't be," he whispered, his eye still tightly shut "it can't be – not again!"

He had forbidden himself to think about what had happened so many years earlier, and now the mere thought that he could be feeling the same again, that they could make the same _mistake_ again…it was enough to make his skin crawl. It was just so insane, so immoral, so just plain wrong, so…so…

_So what?_

Gemini's only eye snapped open as the thought hit him. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but he couldn't utter one single word – he just felt too stunned, as if he had just been hit by a ton of bricks. Yes, so what? Of course, it was immoral. Yes, it was _wrong_. Sure, it went against everything that was right – then again, why should it matter anymore? He was no longer a kid with foolish ideas about what was wrong and what was right – he was a criminal, he was _evil_. He didn't care about right or wrong, he didn't care about anything or anyone, he followed no rules but his own – it had been like that for so many years. If he wanted something, he didn't care how immoral or wrong it could be: he just reached out to take whatever he wanted, to take all that he thought should belong to _him_.

_And you want her. You always wanted her. _

For a split of second Gemini tried to deny, to keep struggling to cling to all the lies he had been telling himself for years – that it wasn't true, that everything that had happened had somehow been her fault, that he had just lost his mind, that he had never really wanted her, never wanted to feel her skin on his and her mouth against his own, never wanted to hear her moans and to see her flushed face ad dazed eyes as he took her, never…_never_…

He let out a sigh and dropped his shoulders. Who was he trying to fool? Yes, he had wanted all that, no matter how much he had regretted it later. He had wanted her, he _still_ wanted her. And she had wanted him as well twenty years before – he knew she had, because he knew he had never done anything to manipulate or force her – so maybe…just maybe…

_But of course she still wants you as well. Why should she be so aggressive otherwise? She's afraid, and she isn't afraid of you. She's afraid of herself, of what she could let herself do if she lost control once again._

"She isn't the only one," Gemini muttered darkly, but he didn't sound as convinced as he wanted. Because really, he _was_ a criminal. He was a bad guy. He was supposed to relish in immorality, not to be scared of it! He was supposed to just reach out to take whatever he wanted, to take whoever he wanted without even caring about what was right and what was not! So why should the thought of having her again bother him…?

Gemini bit his lower lip and shook his head, as if trying to chase away such thoughts. No, he couldn't give in – he wouldn't spend twenty more years being disgusted by himself! No matter how evil he was, not matter how low his morals were, that was just…it was just _wrong_, he forcefully told himself.

Still, the voice of reason seemed to be getting weaker and weaker with each passing minute.

* * *

"You just can't focus on one channel without switching every two minutes, can you?" Gemini grumbled as his sister switched to another channel for the fifth time in barely ten minutes.

"It's hardly my fault if there is nothing interesting this evening," she retorted, clearly annoyed. They had avoided each other most of the day, but now her brother had had the brilliant idea of watching TV as well, and the tension between them had was nearly unbearable. The only thing keeping her from walking away was that what the hell, that was _her_ living room and she would only leaving as she pleased. She was determinated to not let his presence dictate her actions in any way – it made her feel like she still had some kind of control over her life, over everything that was happening.

"Then you could at least _leave_ and let me watch something," he pointed out sulkily.

"No. If I want to stay in my living room to bore myself to death, I _will_ stay in my living room to bore myself to death," she said stubbornly. She knew perfectly she was being childish, but she wanted to make it clear that he wouldn't keep her from doing whatever the heck she wanted in her home, no matter what. "Get yourself something to do and leave me alone."

"Like what, counting the raindrops?" he grunted.

"You could go get yourself some dinner and rid me of your presence for five minutes," Dr. Director snapped.

"I'm not hungry."

"Then _shut up. _I'm sick of hearing you."

"Not as much as I'm sick of _you_."

"Then _leave_," she snarled, gesturing to the door "there are plenty of rooms where you can sulk in peace – and believe me, I won't get there to look for you."

Gemini snorted and folded his arms, leaning back on the couch. Dr. Director glanced at him, and her rage grew instead of fading. "I told you to leave, Gemini."

He blinked. "What?"

"You heard me. Go upstairs, wherever you want, I don't care. I want you to stay as far as possible from me," Dr. Director said, glaring at him, and he suddenly felt furious.

"You don't get to order me around! You're my--" he trailed off as she suddenly jumped on her feet, grabbed the front of his shirt and forced him to get up, pinning him against the wall.

"You really don't want to finish that sentence, _Sheldon_," she said forcefully, mockingly emphasizing his name "this is my house, and if I tell you to leave me alone you just have to _leave me alone_. Is that clear?"

Gemini seemed almost surprised by her sudden burst of rage, then he grinned. "What's your problem, Betty? Are you suddenly afraid of me?" he asked, but there was a faint trace of bitterness beneath the amusement that she didn't detect, or pretended not to.

Her only eye narrowed as she ignored the part of her mind that told her they were both behaving irrationally. They should control themselves, pretend the previous day's fight had never happened, but she was too furious to care. She couldn't even remember when last time she had been so furious to him had been. "I'm _not_," she spat "you don't scare me, Gemini. You merely disgust me," she said.

She didn't need to add anything else for him to understand what she was referring to, and her statement clearly hit a raw nerve, for he scowled in anger and slapped her hands away from the front of his shirt. "Oh, really?" he snarled "and tell me, baby sister, do you feel the same disgust towards yourself or you're just using me as your culprit again?"

Dr. Director gritted her teeth. "Don't behave as if you were some _victim_, Gemini. You definitely are not," she said. Her voice was bitter and unforgiving, but not nearly as accusing as it could have been.

"Neither you are, but you seem to be constantly forgetting that detail," he retorted.

"This isn't relevant!" she shouted "the point is that I don't want to have you close to me!"

"If you really didn't, you wouldn't even be here," he pointed out "you would have stayed well away from the living room – but no, you chose to come here! One would wonder if you just _wanted_ me to--" Gemini trailed off with a yelp as his sister's hand hit his face in a violent slap, causing him to stagger back. He gritted his teeth and glared at his sister, pressing his mechanical hand on the bruised cheek – the relief the cool metal gave him was immediate.

"Now listen here and listen close, Gemini. The only reason why I'm not throwing you in prison right now is that I don't want out mother to suffer because of you. But I _swear_ that if you ever imply anything like this again, you'll be sorry!"

Dr. Director expected him to retort with some remark, but for once he just glared at her and growled. "Is it all?" he asked almost quietly, taking another step forward – they were so close that they could almost touch now, but she didn't step back.

She glared daggers at him. "Yes," she said, this time lowering her voice "it's all. For now," she added before abruptly turning her back to him and stomping upstairs. She knew that by leaving first she had technically given him an advantage, but she couldn't stand his presence one moment longer. She got into her room and slammed the door shut, making sure she could hear it, then she turned and reached to turn the key in the lock.

She didn't. Her fingers quivered a little in mid-air, only a few inches from the key, but she didn't turn it. She didn't even touch it.

_What in the world are you doing? Lock yourself in!_

Dr. Director stayed motionless, her gaze fixed on the key, all her senses screaming for her to lock that blasted door. And she still couldn't bring herself to do so.

* * *

Gemini scowled as he heard her door slamming closed – not that he had been expecting a different reaction, really – and his scowl deepened as he waited for the familiar noise of the key turning in the lock: not a day had passed by without him hearing that sound whenever his sister went into her bedroom, not even when they seemed to be getting along almost reasonably. He supposed it was her way to tell him to stay away from her, whether she did it on purpose or unconsciously.

But this time, that noise didn't reach his ears.

He frowned in confusion, turning up to stare at the door, still expecting for the sound of the key turning into the lock to be heard. He waited. And waited.

Nothing.

_Why? Betty hasn't neglected locking herself the whole time I've been here – not even once. Why would she forget to today of all days?_

_Maybe she didn't forget._

Gemini took a few steps to the stair, then he hesitated, his gaze still fixed on the door of his sister's bedroom. He could be wrong, and maybe she had truly just forgotten to lock it. Maybe she was just about to. And, in any case, he strongly doubted she would be glad to see him there. It wasn't like he had any reason to get there, it was just…he…

_Oh, what the hell._

Gemini shook his head to get rid of his own thoughts and began climbing upstairs.

* * *

Dr. Director couldn't really say she was surprised when the door opened – she guessed she could say she had expecting it to happen, at least at an unconscious level, which was probably why she had been standing in the middle of the room facing the door like an idiot. She drew in a deep breath and glanced up to see her brother standing in the doorway.

"What do you want?"

"You don't seem surprised to see me," Gemini said with a smirk, stepping in after just a brief hesitation. He could clearly remember that when he had first gotten there he had been certain he would never, under any circumstance set foot into her bedroom, but now things had changed. He still couldn't tell if it was for the best or for the worst, but something had undoubtedly changed.

"I'm not – I should have guessed you would have behaved like the sick and twisted individual you are," she snapped "get out."

"No. Not before you tell me something."

Dr. Director suddenly felt awfully scared by the whole thing, as if she had just realized what kind of situation she was into. "I don't even want to speak with you," she snapped, taking a step forward, ready to hurt him if she had to "get out of--" she trailed off as the mechanical hand she had given him herself suddenly gripped her neck.

"Not so fast," Gemini snarled "I want to know why--" whatever he was about to say died in his throat as he felt something barely grazing on his throat – his sister's fingers. He gritted his teeth and glared at her.

They were both in a terribly vulnerable position – Gemini's mechanical hand could snap her neck with the same ease she could crush his windpipe by simply increasing the pressure on the right points – but neither of them made the first move. The just stayed motionless, their muscles tense, staring at each other.

"Why didn't you lock your door?" he finally asked.

She glared at him. "What does that matter?"

"You always locked your door, since the first night I spent here. Why didn't you now?"

"Are you really thinking there is a _reason_ why I didn't?" Dr. Director spat back "you're pathetic. I was about to, that's all."

"Oh, I see. Were you waiting for something to happen before you locked it?" Gemini taunted her with a grin, but his grin wavered as her grip on his throat tightened just a little – they were both perfectly aware that she could kill him in an instant.

"Don't start looking for hidden meanings where there is none, Gemini," she nearly growled.

"I was simply wondering why would you just stand in the middle of the room staring at the door rather than locking it. Especially with your worst _enemy_ in your living room," he said a little bitterly, and an odd smirk spread on his face as he noticed she was biting her lower lip – he had clearly hit a nerve "do you want to know what I think?" he added snidely, his grip still firm on her neck while he tried to ignore the temptation to just claim her mouth. But no, he wouldn't force himself on her: it wouldn't give him any satisfaction. He didn't only want her, he also wanted her to want _him_, he wanted her to give in on her own will so that later she could only hate _herself_ for what had happened – she would never again be able to blame him.

Unaware of his musings, Dr. Director snorted. "No. I don't want to hear a thing from--"

"I think you didn't lock your door because you knew that I would notice you hadn't," Gemini cut her off "you knew – no, you _hoped_ – that I would come to check. And while you thought you were standing here debating if you should lock the door or not, you were really just taking time. You were waiting for me to come in – you were _hoping_ for me to--" he trailed off and gave a half strangled cry as Dr. Director brought up her knee without any warning, hitting his stomach and making him let go of her throat and double over in pain, gasping for breath.

"Well, you're _wrong_," she hissed, but her hands were now shaking a little "now _get out_, and be glad I didn't decide to hit you somewhere else. Stay as far form me as you can from now on, or your next residence for the next few decades will be prison."

Gemini growled and glared darkly at her, still clutching his stomach, but he finally straightened himself and walked away without glancing at her again, a grimace on his face. Dr. Director sighed in relief as he left, shutting the door behind him. She immediately went to the door and turned the key in the lock almost viciously, making sure the noise would be loud enough for her brother to hear it, then she leant with her back against the door, her thoughts storming in her mind.

Did he really think there was a reason why she hadn't locked her door immediately? Did he really think she had ever hoped for him to…what in the world was he _thinking_? The simple fact he had assumed she could be hoping for him to join her was just sickening. She had hesitated to lock herself in her room because…because…well, certainly _not_ for the reason he had thought of. It was just…

Dr. Director swallowed, something horribly close to fear causing her stomach to clench as she realized she couldn't think of any logical reason why she hadn't locked herself in as she had always done until that day.

* * *

Agent Will Du wasn't one to easily get scared. He had faced all kinds of situation as a GJ agent, and thus there were very few things in the world he could say he was really afraid of. And, in days like that on, Dr. Director was one of those things.

Not that he was the only one, he mused as he watched the agents in the common room nervously scanning through incoming reports. Even though it was a relatively uneventful day – it looked like the villain community had decided to take a break – and they were simply concentrating on their search for Gemini, Dr. Director had been awfully nervous and snappy most of the time. Will could have sworn that one of their toughest agents had been about to burst crying after being reprimanded for a minor setback. She didn't even need to yell to be intimidating: just one glare from her spoke volumes, and they had definitely been getting more glares than average that day.

"Dr. Director!" one of the agents suddenly called, interrupting his musings "we have found the…well, the remains of the jet Gemini stole. Apparently, it crashed on the Andes."

Dr. Director raised her gaze from the reports she had been reading and glanced up at the agent. "Crashed?" she repeated, mentally prising herself for managing to sound surprised enough "are you sure it wasn't some emergency landing? For all we know, Gemini could as well have a base in the Andes."

The agent seemed suddenly uneasily as the image of the semi-carbonised remains of what had once been a GJ jet appeared on one of the main screens. "Negative: it definitely crashed, probably hitting the side of a mountain. And from what I can tell, the emergency ejection seat hasn't been activated – it's still there," the man said, still studying the images. A heavy silence fell on the control room, but Dr. Director pretended she hadn't noticed it.

"Prepare a search around the area in any case," she said, turning her gaze from the jet she had sent crashing herself with a grimace. Such a waste of money, thought – Gemini's freedom wasn't worth that much money and effort. Still, her mother's happiness was.

Will Du, who had followed the scene in silence, coughed a little before voicing everyone's thoughts. "Dr. Director, don't you think this opens up the possibility Gemini might have been…you see…"

"Killed in the crash? I wish I were that lucky," she muttered coldly, causing the agents to blink in surprise. Alright, everyone knew that there was a strong rivalry and a deep mutual disliking between Dr. Director and Gemini, but it was still her brother's supposed _death_ they were talking about…!

Will Du was the first one to recollect. He cleared his throat. "How do you want us to proceed, Dr. Director?"

"Retrieve the remains of the jet: we could still try to find out when the crash happened, and try finding some evidence that Gemini was in there at the moment of the crash. In any case, we might not even find his body after so much time – if he wasn't reduced to ashes, condors might have felt like having a snack."

Will want a little pale at the thought and stood still for a few moments, gaining himself a glare from Dr. Director. "Didn't you hear my instructions, agent Du?"

He recoiled. "Yes, Dr. Director – I'll send a unit to retrieve the jet and…whatever else might be left," he said, quickly backing away.

"Perfect," Dr. Director heard herself muttering and she glanced back at the reports she was reading, ignoring the fact the agents were still staring at her. She supposed it had to seem frightening to them how unshaken she was by Gemini possible 'death', but she certainly couldn't be upset for a death that she knew hadn't happened…and right now she despised the very thought or her brother too much to even pretend. She sighed and spent the whole day filing paperwork, dreading the moment she would have to get back home and trying to ignore the guilt that assailed her every time she let herself think of how she had turned her back to everything GJ stood for by hiding him.

At least, now that the remains of the jet had been found, the moment she could let Gemini slip lower in the 'most wanted' was getting closer: no organization would want to waste too much money and resources to look for someone that was apparently dead.


	17. Surrender

_A/N: well, if you made it to this chapter I guess you already know all too well what kind of subject this fic deals with_. _Anyway, this chapter is the main reason why the story is M-rated. Nope, you don't get a cookie if you guess what's going to happen _XD  
_It isn't too descriptive, mainly because I cut off most of the scene since it ended up getting too explicit for this site's rules. There is a link to the uncut chapter with the whole scene on my profile, and unless you have a LJ account you have to confirm you're at least eighteen years old to read it since it leaves very little to imagination. I'm still not taking responsibilities for scarred minds _XD

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Even though having to sit there doing nothing all day hadn't gotten any better than before, Gemini couldn't help but think that it was still better than dealing with his sister. If the tension had been unbearable for a couple of days already, the previous evening's fight could only make things worse.

They hadn't even seen each other when she left – he did hear her getting out, but he pretended to be still sleeping and she certainly didn't stop to even look at him – but he could only imagine how much worse it would be facing her when she got back…and she could be back any minute now, he mused with a grimace.

_This can't end well. You shouldn't face her again, not so soon, not here. You should have left._

Gemini gritted his teeth at the thought, his grip on the newspaper tightening as he kept staring to the page without even seeing it. He should have left, he _knew_ he should have – and he had stayed, telling himself that he didn't want to do anything rash and get caught…but the truth was that he hadn't wanted Betty to think he had ran away from her, because he certainly wasn't _scared_ or…!

_Or maybe you just didn't want to get away, period. You wanted to stay because you know she's about to crack, you know what could happen if you keep staying so close to each other – and you want it to happen._

He snorted, but before he could think of anything he could retort – was there even anything to retort to a statement that deep down he knew was true? – there was a sound of a key in the lock. He heard the front door opening and after a few instants Dr. Director got in the room, her face an emotionless mask, not even looking at him as she simply refused to acknowledge his presence.

Gemini's scowl deepened as his sister stiffly walked past him, but neither of them said a word. He clenched his teeth and kept his gaze fixed on the previous day's newspaper even though he already knew every single article by memory now. He heard her moving in the next room before she walked back in the living room, holding a book in her right hand. "Move," she said sharply, glaring down at him "I want to read."

He glared back at her. "And you have to do so here because…?" he snarled.

"Because I like sitting on this couch when I read," she said, though it was only partially true – most of all, she wanted to make it clear that she was the one in control, and that he would have to follow her rules, no matter what "and I don't want to have you in the same room. _Leave_."

"What if I refused?" Gemini asked, getting up to face her.

Her only eye narrowed. "You wouldn't like the consequences."

"You don't get to order me around like this!"

"Looks like I _do_."

"Oh, really? Then watch me as I _don't leave_," he shouted, folding his arms and suddenly looking like a big kid throwing a tantrum.

Dr. Director drew in a deep breath, trying to not snap again. "Sheldon, if you don't leave now I'll have to _make_ you leave. And I guarantee it wouldn't be--" she trailed off with a gasp as Gemini suddenly grabbed both her wrists. She normally would have easily gotten him off her – she had been trained to face such situations after all – but he had taken her by surprise, and before she knew it he had pinned her against the wall, still holding her wrists in an iron grip.

"How are you going to make me _now_, Betty?" Gemini grinned, but his grin wavered as he realized just how close her face was to his, how intoxicating her scent suddenly seemed and how beautiful she looked even when she was furious. _Especially_ when she was furious. He swallowed, a sudden rush of excitement cursing through his veins as she watched her seemingly helpless in his grip.

After the first few moments of confusion, however, she didn't seem impressed. "Is this all you've got?" she asked tauntingly, but before she could add anything else his mouth was on hers in a forceful, almost violent kiss. Her eye widened in shock, and her lips stayed sealed for a few moments as she kept struggling, then she suddenly seemed to give in and parted them, letting him taste her mouth for the first time after so many years, her mind so blurred that she couldn't even _think_.

Gemini shivered even so slight as she let him push his tongue in her mouth, her body going limp against his for a few moments. His iron grip around her wrists slackened as she hesitantly returned the kiss, then he finally let go of her wrists, his fingers fumbling to open her shirt and pull it off her…

_Smack!_

"Ow!" Gemini gasped as his sister suddenly broke the kiss, pulled back and violently punched him, making him stumble backwards. He tried to reach out for something to stop his fall, but she immediately grabbed his arm and flipped him face down to the ground, keeping his arm bent behind his back to keep him from moving.

"What did you _think _you were doing?" Dr. Director nearly snarled in his ear, and he had to hold back a grin as he noticed she was panting slightly.

"Take a guess. You didn't seem to mind," he spat, holding back a hiss of pain as her grip on his arm tightened. It felt like it would either break or be twisted out of its socket – either way, it wouldn't be nice.

"Don't flatter yourself, I was simply waiting for you to behave like the sick individual you are and lower your guard," she remarked, placing a knee on his back to make sure he couldn't get up.

"Yeah, right. I let you go way before you finally struck me," he snapped "if you just wanted to get me off you, you wouldn't have let things get as far as-- ah!" he trailed off, unable to hold back a yelp as she twisted his arm harder behind his back.

"If you don't want me to break it, keep your mouth shut. You must be crazy if you really think I was…" she paused and shook her head almost angrily "you're _sick_."

"Look who's talking," Gemini growled, gritting his teeth to stand the pain in his arm – but if she wanted to break it, she would have done it already "if I recall correctly, you didn't exactly try to stop me last time."

"We were young. And it only happened once."

"Yeah, that explains _everything_," he said sarcastically.

She gritted her teeth. "You manipulated me," she said, fully knowing it was a lie – but she needed to believe it, more now than ever.

"No, I didn't. It was _you_ who seduced _me_," he retorted. It wasn't true either, he knew it now – he guessed he had always known it after all – but he wanted her to know what it felt like having all the blame placed on her.

"_Liar!_" Dr. Director shouted, pressing her knee harder against his spine and nearly causing him to cry out "you cannot blame it on me!"

"You can't…blame it on me either," he managed to gasp "it…wouldn't hurt as much…if it wasn't…the truth, would it?"

"I never forced _you_ to do anything! You did!"

"I…didn't…" Gemini let out a yelp through clenched teeth, but his sister was too furious to loosen her grip on his arm or to move so her whole weight wouldn't be on his spine "I didn't…force you. Ever. You…_ah_!"

"Not another word, or I'll break your arm," she threatened, her only eye narrowed, her lower lip trembling slightly against her own will – as much as she hated to admit it, she knew he was right. She knew he had never forced her, just like she had never forced him. They were young, confused and scared, but everything that had happened between them that cursed night had been consensual, and they had both wanted it – they had both enjoyed it. The thought made her feel sick, but not nearly as much as she had expected.

Oblivious of the thoughts that were storming in her mind, Gemini ignored her threat and spoke again – he seemed almost desperate to speak, to convince her and himself that he wasn't to blame. He had been keeping those thoughts to himself for too long, trying to deny anything had ever happened – he could never get another chance to say it. "You wouldn't…hate me this much…if I forced you," he finally gasped, his only eye tightly shut "you wanted it as much as I did. Even…" he held back a cry, the pain in his shoulder making him fear she would actually end up twisting his arm out of its socket if she didn't loosed her grip. And maybe she would once he was done speaking, but now there was no stopping himself. He would take the risk. "Even now…you wanted it…didn't you?"

_You wanted it._

Dr. Director froze as his words echoed in his mind – the very same words a part of her had been repeating for years, making her feel horribly guilty and often physically sick for giving herself over to her own brother. Had she wanted it? Yes, she had. She hadn't stopped to think clearly – she hadn't stopped to think at all – but she still knew what was happening. Confused as they might be, they both knew it, and they had both had chosen to go on – if anyone was to blame, it was _both_ of them. And now…

_Even now you wanted it, didn't you?_

There was a long silence. Gemini expected her to press her knee deeper in his spine, or to break his arm like she had threatened to do, but much to his surprise her grip on his arm loosened just a little and she decreased the pressure on his back, allowing him to breathe a little more easily. He opened his mouth to speak, but he froze as his sister spoke again.

"Whether I want it or not is not relevant. We can't."

He blinked, surprised by her sudden change of attitude – had she just almost _admitted_ she wanted it? And was it just him, or her voice was trembling slightly? "What…?"

"We can't," she repeated, more to herself than to him. Her grip on his arm slackened even more, but he barely noticed.

"Why not?" he asked instead, almost challengingly.

"Don't play stupid, you're my _brother_," she snapped.

"Tell me something I don't know."

"It's wrong."

"Hello? Bad guy right here," he pointed out "I don't _care_ about what's wrong or not."

"Oh, really? You didn't think this way back then – you were just as upset as I was for what happened!" she growled.

"Things changed," he spat "_I_ changed."

"You might have changed, but I didn't. I _do_ care about what's wrong or not."

"This didn't stop you last time."

Dr. Director gritted her teeth. "I was young. And I was confused," she said lamely.

"You still are. Confused, I mean, certainly not youn-- _ow_! Alright, alright, I take it back! Since when are so touchy about your age?" he protested.

She shrugged. "Since when I got past thirty five, I think," she said, smirking just a little.

"Well, you _are_ getting old…"

"Yeah. And you are four minutes _older_, right?"

There was a brief silence. "Darn," he finally muttered, causing her to laugh for the first time since the moment she had gotten home.

"What's the matter, you suddenly don't feel like being the older brother anymore?" she taunted him, but her laughter turned into a surprised gasp as he suddenly pulled his arm free from her grasp and rolled over, kicking her legs from beneath her and pressing her to the ground – she hadn't even realized how much her grip on his arm had slackened as they spoke. A newbie's mistake, she thought in annoyance.

"Sure I do – it makes me _smarter_," he grinned down at her as he kept her blocked between the floor and his own body.

She shrugged, trying to ignore the way her stomach had just clenched at the closeness. "Yeah, _right_. I could get you off me in a moment."

"If you wanted to, you would have already."

Dr. Director's only eye narrowed. "Don't try me, or I will break your arm this time. _Both_ your arms."

"I'll take the risk."

She scowled, grabbing his arms just below the elbow. "Last warning, Gemini," she said sharply.

Gemini didn't move. Her grip tightened. He stayed motionless again, his gaze fixed on her face.

"_Sheldon."_

"You'll have to break my arms," he just said, and she was taken aback by the seriousness in his voice. She looked up at his face, and she realized he _was_ being serious. He was pale, breathing a little faster than usual, and there was no mistaking the almost desperate hunger burning in his only eye.

"Don't make me do it," she said, and her voice was trembling slightly.

"I would take you just a moment, you know. You could _kill_ me with very little effort, couldn't you? Go ahead."

She bit her lower lip. "I don't _want _to. Get off me," she said, still doing nothing despite the fact she could have gotten him off her in a moment without even having to hurt him seriously.

"Why not?" he asked, ignoring her demands, his voice barely above a whisper.

She swallowed. "Sheldon, _don't_," she said, turning to not see him – his face was close to hers, too close. She could feel his warm breath against her neck, and the sensation made her shiver.

"I'm doing nothing."

"You know what I mean," she snapped, turning back to glare at him, and she paused as she saw just how close his face was to hers now – his lips were so close to hers that they could almost touch. Almost.

Gemini swallowed. "You can still get me off you," he reminded her, his breathing suddenly ragged.

Dr. Director's hands abruptly reached up, grabbing the front of his shirt, and for a moment he thought she was actually about to flip him back on the ground, then she yanked his head down and pressed her mouth on his once again, causing him to wince. He froze just for a moments before closing his eye and kissing her back – uncertainly at first, then with increasing urgency. They were both panting when they broke apart, staring at each other for a few moments.

_This is insane, Betty._

_I know._

_I thought you learned your lesson._

_I'm no longer a kid. I can handle it._

_This is more than you can handle._

Any further thought was interrupted as Gemini eagerly claimed her lips again in an almost brutal kiss. She fiercely kissed him back before flipping him on his back and rolling on top of him, without breaking the kiss. For a moment he considered protesting, but he decided against it – he would have to break the kiss to do so, and that required a stronger will than his own. Instead, he just reached up to finish unbuttoning her shirt before letting his only actual hand run across her bare back, enjoying the smoothness of her skin and causing her to shiver. It took him a few attempts to undo her bra – he had wondered more than once how in the world could women take it off so easily.

She shivered before finally breaking the kiss to completely get rid of her shirt and bra, and she felt him wince under her when she slid her hands under his shirt, her palms tracing his chest as she lifted the shirt over his head and threw it away.

"Does that mean you won't break my arm?" he panted, gazing at her newly revealed skin only for a moment before she leant down to kiss him forcefully, her breasts brushing against his bared chest.

"I'm still tempted," Dr. Director breathed against his lips. He tried to roll over again, but she kept him firmly pinned to the ground.

He glared up at her. "You don't really think you're going to be the one to lead, do you?"

"Well, it's my house you're currently hiding into. My house, my rules."

"Forget it! I'm the older--" Gemini began, but he immediately trailed off – that was a detail he didn't really want to think about right now, and reality suddenly seemed to hit him like a ton of bricks. He was about to sleep with his _sister_ – again. "I…" he tried to say something as she suddenly pulled back, but he couldn't think of anything he could say. He swallowed and looked away.

She bit her lower lip before shaking her head slightly. "Well, we did a pretty good job at ignoring it until now, didn't we?" she said a little bitterly, her gaze a unfocused as she avoided to look at him, wrapping her arms around herself as if to shield herself from his sight – and was it just her, or the room seemed suddenly colder? She shook her head, trying to put order in her confused thoughts. What was she doing? Had she lost her mind? She knew it was a mistake, and she had been certain it would never happen again – what in the world was wrong with her? Why didn't she feel as ashamed as she should have felt, as she _had_ felt for so many years?

There was a long silence. "Betty?" Gemini finally called, reaching out for her a little hesitantly. She winced a little as he touched her shoulder, her mind screaming for her to shrug his hand off her and get away while she still could, but she just couldn't bring herself to do so, no matter what. How could the warm weight of his hand – his _real_ hand – on her shoulder feel both repulsive and oddly comforting was beyond her. _Everything_ that was happening was beyond her.

"How have we come to this?" she whispered, more to herself than to him.

He turned his gaze away, retreating his hand from her shoulder. "I don't know," he said honestly, and she was surprised to hear something remarkably similar to sadness in his voice. She finally glanced at him just as he spoke again, still avoiding to look at her. "We could stop now, before…well…"

Dr. Director swallowed. Yes, they could just stop now that they could think somewhat clearly. It would be the most logic thing to do…but it seemed like her mind just didn't feel like following logic at all. She wanted it to the point she couldn't even bring herself to care about how wrong it was – her body was longing for his touch, and in that moment she wished nothing else but giving in and forgetting any other thought but the fierce need she had ignored for way too long.

"No."

Gemini blinked in surprise as she spoke. "Wha…?" he began, but he trailed off as she threw her arms around his neck and pressed her mouth on his once again with almost desperate urgency, trying to close her mind to any rational thought and to only focus on how good his skin felt against hers, smooth and warm. It didn't feel right, it didn't feel right at all…but it felt _good_, and she wanted it, and it was enough for now.

_You're making a mistake. The same mistake, all over again. And once again, you can't stop yourselves._

_We're no longer kids. We can deal with it as adults._

_Adults? You and Sheldon? Don't make me laugh. You learned nothing! _

She pulled back and bit her lower lip, shaking her head slightly as if to get rid of such thoughts, then she reached for her brother's face. Gemini froze as he felt her fingers grazing his eye patch. "No," he muttered, instinctively pulling back, and for the first time he actually seemed _scared_.

For some reason, his irrational reaction – did it even make any sense thinking about what was rational or not _now_? – annoyed her. "You know, it's not like I've never _seen _what a missing eye looks like," she said sharply, not really knowing why she felt so eager to take off his eye patch, to see the damage she had done herself years before. She reached up again, but he grabber her wrist.

"Don't," he said, and for a moment he almost sounded like he was pleading her to not insist. He suddenly seemed even more vulnerable than he had been inside his cell in the GJ headquarters, handcuffed and still recovering from the electric shock he had accidentally inflicted on himself.

"If I didn't know you, I'd say you're scared," she taunted him with a small smirk, but she retreated her hand without making any further attempt.

"I'm not!" he immediately protested "I just…" he went on, but she quickly silenced him by hungrily pressing her mouth on his again – last thing she wanted was having him rambling: it could give her more time to stop and think about what they were doing than she wished. He immediately returned the kiss, not even protesting when she pinned him to the ground again – it didn't occur to either of them to get on the pull out bed just a few feet from them: it seemed to be a far more complex thought than their minds could come up with at the moment, and it probably was.

The next few minutes were a blur of sensations, mixed emotions and raw desire – next thing she knew as her mind cleared enough to allow her to think was that they had gotten rid of the rest of their clothes and that they had most likely rolled over at some point since now he was on top of her, but she couldn't even remember when had it happened, nor she really cared. Her mind seemed incapable to register anything but his scent and the warmth of his body on hers and the burning sensation his mouth seemed to leave on her skin.

She let out a gasp, her nails sinking in the skin of his back as he gripped her hair and turned her head backwards almost viciously before he nibbled at her throat, and she arched her back, grinding her hips against his and causing him to moan against her, his warm breath on her skin making her feel light-headed. "Betty," he breathed, his voice low and ragged with hunger as he pulled back to look down at her, shifting slightly, and she held her breath for a moment as she felt him hard against her thigh. The most rational part of her mind made one last, desperate attempt at stopping her.

_This cannot be what you want!_

She glanced up at his face to see an almost fierce look of hunger that matched her own.

_Yes. It is what I want now._

_You're insane._

Probably, she forcefully told herself a moment before her mind finally shut off.

* * *

Her mind dazed by the afterglow, Dr. Director drew in a shaky breath as she felt his body going limp on hers, his last groan finally turning into nothing more than a long, trembling breath that sounded much like he was calling her name. Gemini stayed still for a few moments, panting, then he lifted his head again and pressed his mouth on hers once more, and she found herself kissing back on pure reflex – a slow, almost soothing kiss whose unusual gentleness she would later justify with the fact they both were exhausted. He finally broke the kiss and pressed his sweaty face against the crook of her neck, still breathing heavily.

She tried to speak, not even knowing what she could say, but she had barely enough time to emit a sound before Gemini's embrace suddenly tightened. "No," he rasped against her skin, his only eye shut "don't."

_Don't speak._

She seemed to immediately get what he meant, for she shut her mouth and just wrapped her arms around his neck, her chin resting on his damp hair as they lay there for a while, still trembling and trying to catch their breath at first, and then slipping in and out of something remarkably close to a slumber – neither of them seemed to have enough strength or willpower left to even lift their head.

Dr. Director couldn't tell how long had they stayed that way – her mind was simply too dazed for her to keep track of time – but it had to be a while, for when he broke the embrace and pulled out of her to roll by her side she noticed that the thin lines of blood coming from the scratches on his chest and shoulders were clotting already: she certainly hadn't gone easy on him. She glanced down at her own chest, and she noticed some small traces of blood that had gotten on her skin while he lay in top of her.

"I hurt you," she heard herself muttering, sounding slightly surprised as she sat up and uncomfortably glanced down at him, instinctively wrapping her arms around herself somewhat self-consciously.

_As if there was anything he hasn't seen already._

_Shut up._

Gemini, on the other hand, didn't even bother opening his eye as he lay on his back on the floor, nor he did anything to shield himself from her gaze. "I didn't even feel it," he said with a shrug, a slight grin on his lips "I'm a tough one – and in case you didn't notice, I've had worse moments," he said, using his mechanical hand to gesture at his eye patch.

"I see. Are you planning to get up from my carpet anytime soon?" she asked with a sharp edge in her voice as she picked up her shirt and put it back on. Truth to be told, now that she could think more clearly, she didn't quite know how to behave. She knew that what they had done was immoral, wrong and just plainly insane, and that she probably should feel more ashamed and disgusted than she actually was – but still, how else was she supposed to behave _now_?

They hadn't simply lost their mind like they had when they were young: this time they were not confused or scared like they were back then – they knew exactly what they were getting themselves into, they were aware of the implications…and they had chosen to go on. This time, there would be no crying over what had happened, no blaming each other, no looking for excuses. Even denying the plain fact they had both enjoyed every moment of it would be rather pointless now.

Dr. Director took a deep breath as she finished buttoning up her shirt, inwardly thankful for the fact it was long enough to cover past her upper thighs – there was no way she was going to put her underwear or pants back on without at least taking a shower first. She nearly cringed in a mixture of disgust and shame as she felt something warm trickling down the inside of her thigh, but she managed to ignore it. She cleared her throat before turning to look at her brother, who had already put his pants back on and was looking around for his shirt while quickly fastening his belt.

"Looking for this?" she said with mild amusement as she picked it up from under the couch – how in world had it gotten under the couch anyway? – and handled it back to him.

Gemini nodded, reaching out for the shirt. "Yes, thank…er…" he paused and cleared his throat before quickly putting it on, grimacing just a little as the cloth brushed on the scratches on his shoulders.

"You should disinfect those, you know," she pointed out, more to say something than for actual concern about some scratches that were most likely going to heal in a couple of days anyway. She just needed to speak about something, _anything_ that wasn't related to what had happened – well, maybe the scratches weren't the best choice since she had been the one to cause them, but it was still better than having to directly talk about what had happened.

He scoffed. "No need for that, I'm just fine," he said, then he hissed as he tried to shrug, a gesture that resulted with the fabric brushing on the scratches again.

"Yeah, I see," Dr. Director said sarcastically "you better take care of those, or you'll feel like they're on fire in no time."

Gemini was about to protest, but he promptly changed his mind as the scratches on his chest actually began to burn as well while he tried to button up the shirt, adding to his general discomfort. His muscles still hurt because of the electric shocks he had to endure little more than a week or so before, and his earlier struggle with his sister and their more recent…action on the floor were starting to take their toll, making every single muscle in his body _ache_ – and those scratches were not helping at all. "Fine," he said grudgingly and a little awkwardly, avoiding her gaze "where…?"

"In the bathroom upstairs – the first aid kit is near the sink," she said mechanically, the she swallowed before calling for him, this time more firmly. "And, Sheldon?"

Gemini stopped in his tracks and turned back to her, already knowing what she was about to say. "What?"

She took a deep breath before speaking again, trying to keep her voice as firm as she could. "This never happened. Nothing ever happened here, and nothing will ever happen again. We won't speak again about it – not now, not ever. Understood?" she said, finally turning to look straight in his eye.

He bit his lower lip, and for a moment he almost looked _hurt_, then he grimaced and nodded, avoiding her gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about – nothing happened here," he said almost bitterly before turning to get upstairs, absentmindedly rubbing the back of his hand on his lips as if it could be enough to make _her_ taste go away – but of course, it wasn't enough: Gemini doubted it would ever go away.

Dr. Director, on the other hand, just stood there for a while, her arms tightly wrapped around herself, her gaze unfocused as she tried to put some order in her confused thoughts. Then again, what else was there to ponder? The truth, plain and simple, was that she had lost control to him – they had lost control to each other, again.

And she didn't know how it could happen. _Again_.

"I must have gone insane," she said to the empty room, shivering for no apparent reason. She felt a sudden urge to wash _him _– his sweat and his scent and his blood and the sticky feeling on the insides of her thighs – off her, even though she wasn't sure it would be enough to make the sensation go away. But she would ignore it: she would ignore it and forget what had happened. She knew it was hypocrite of her, just as hypocrite as telling Sheldon to forget as well – she knew perfectly there was no way to deny what had happened this time – but forgetting it was still a easier solution that actually having to deal with it, or worse yet to _talk_ about it.

She glanced at the spot they had been laying until a few minutes before, but she immediately turned away as she saw a small stain on the carpet, a grimace on her face as she was reminded of the bloodstain she had seen on the sheets the first time they had slept together…the only time, until that day.

Yes, forgetting would be easier. Besides, it wasn't like what had happened had meant anything at all: it had been nothing more than sex, unnatural and twisted as the whole ting was – it wasn't like there was any kind of actual _feeling_ in it, right? Right?

An unexpected shudder shook her whole frame at the mere thought, her stomach turning – for some reason, thinking that whatever there was between her and her twin could be something more than just raw desire _really_ made her feel sick. If possible, she felt like a such thing would make the whole thing seem even more immoral and wrong than it was already.


	18. Until next time

_A/N: phew, after over 100,000 words the fic is almost over. This was supposed to end with this chapter, really, but then a certain someone did the worst thing she could do: she encouraged me to polish and develop some stuff I had written earlier as some kind of alternate ending and turn it into the epilogue of this fic after changing the end of this chapter a bit. So yeah, after this one there is one more chapter left. One more chapter that shouldn't have even existed. Curse you, _VampireNaomi_! _XD

* * *

"Damn it!" Gemini let out an exasperated growl as he finally sat up on the bed, causing the sweat-soaked pillow to fall on the ground. There were many things in the world he thought of as frustrating, and tossing and turning for hours without getting a minute of sleep was among them. Pretty high on the list, actually.

He took a deep breath, wiping the sweat from his face and pressing his forearm on his forehead for a few moments as he took some more steady breaths, trying to calm down and trying to convince himself that it was just because of the hot weather that he couldn't sleep. But no matter how good he had become at feeding lies to everyone, himself included – he knew what the true reason was: her taste was still on his lips, no matter what he did to get rid of it, and there was her scent lingering in that blasted room, lingering on _him_.

Worst of all, any moment he was about to fall asleep, in that brief moment between awareness and sleep, he could nearly _feel_ her skin on his…and ever single time he had woken up with a start to realize he had been trying to reach out for someone who wasn't even there. He had tried to reach out for _her_. The mere thought she could affect him like that was simply infuriating, but he couldn't help it. Gemini let out a furious growl at the thought – it was her fault! It had always been her fault! If only she hadn't…well…

Gemini shook his head, almost desperately trying to finish that thought, but much to his dismay he couldn't think of anything. There was nothing Betty had done for things to get that far: there was only what _they_ had done. Both of them, always.

He glanced upstairs. The door of her room was closed, and he had heard her locking it clearly when she had gotten in. A little _too_ clearly – he knew her too well to not understand that she had meant to tell him to stay away, to not even try to get any closer to her again. Gemini turned his gaze away and swallowed, just realizing how awfully dry his throat felt. He switched on the light and got up to walk to the kitchen and get some water, almost grateful for having something, _anything_ to do now.

"I'm _really_ getting old," he muttered to no on in particular, grimacing as all his muscles protested loudly – but honestly, he thought as he filled a glass with water and drank greedily, it was really no surprise he ached all over considering what he had been through lately: he had gotten two electric shocks, escaped from the GJ headquarters, slept every night on the most uncomfortable mattress ever and then his _dearest_ sister had flipped him on the ground a couple of times, that last time twisting his arm behind his back before they…

CRACK.

"Blast it," Gemini muttered, a scowl on his face as he realized he had tightened his grip too much on the glass with his mechanical hand. He seemed to lose control horribly easily any time he thought back about what had happened just a few hours before.

_This is the point – as Betty said, nothing happened. Nothing that matters. Get it through your skull. _

He took a deep breath and nodded to himself before getting out of the kitchen without bothering to pick up what was left of the glass – Betty could as well deal with it the next morning, for all he cared. "Nothing," he muttered to no one in particular, and he suddenly felt somewhat relieved – no, nothing had happened that evening, nothing that had any _meaning_…still, Gemini felt like something was gnawing at him as his gaze fell on the small stain on the carpet. He swallowed, his throat tightening with something close to disgust as he thought back to what had happened on that spot just hours earlier. Because it _had_ happened – he knew that this time neither he or his sister would be able to deny it – and there would be her taste on his lips to remind him, always.

_And you were the one who started it this time. You wanted it – you both did, you said it yourself. You both enjoyed it. You were so bold just a few hours ago, claming you didn't care about what's wrong or not. What's the point in denying now? Denial is for cowards. I thought you were no coward._

Gemini furiously gritted his teeth at the thought and almost rushed out of that blasted room, heading upstairs. The scratches she had given him had suddenly begun to burn again – he doubted it was only because of the wounds themselves – and he needed it to _stop_ before it drove him insane. He couldn't remember any other moment in his life in which he had felt so desperate to take an icy cold shower.

* * *

The sudden crashing sound coming from he kitchen had been faint, but still enough to wake her up – she had always had a light sleep, which was a good thing given what her job was, and tonight she hadn't been able to _really_ fall asleep anyway. Not after what had happened. Not while she still felt his body on hers and she still had his scent on her, no matter how long she had stayed in the shower.

And of course, there was the pain on her sides to remind her what had happened, she thought bitterly, her hand tracing through the nightgown the bruises he had given her when holding her waist. He hadn't gripped her _too_ tightly for most of the time, but his grip had tightened almost viciously in those last few instants, when he--

Dr. Director groaned and buried her face in her hands at the thought. How could she let it happen? She had lost control so quickly that it scared her, and the worst part was that now she couldn't even bring herself to regret it. Yes, she did feel disgusted, ashamed, and guilty to some extent, but not nearly as much as she had expected: she just felt…she didn't _know_ how she felt. Frustrated, maybe, and angered because she hadn't been able to control herself. She hadn't been able to resist: she had just given herself over.

And she couldn't even blame her brother anymore – he hadn't done anything to force her. He _never_ had; that illusion was gone. He had started it, yes, but she had complied by her own free will: she could have easily gotten him off her, and she hadn't. Actually, she had been the one who had chosen to go ahead when he had been ready to stop, she mused uncomfortably.

_He shouldn't even be here, you know. He should be in jail, locked away from you._

_It would break our mother's heart._

_Are you sure it's only because of her? And out of curiosity, have you wondered what she would think if she knew what you two have done?_

No, she hadn't, and she didn't want to. She quickly shook her head to chase the thought and tried to concentrate on something else. What was it that had woken her up again? Oh, right, the sound of glass breaking. She frowned a little before sighing and finally getting up – she better check if everything was alright, she thought as she unlocked the door. It probably had just been her brother letting something fall, but one can never be too sure…especially when you're the head of Global Justice, she mused as she opened the door and stepped outside.

Besides, she wanted to prove to herself that she was able to handle the situation without having to _hide_: even though she definitely hoped she wouldn't have to meet Gemini – she really didn't feel like speaking with him for now – she refuse to let this prevent her from walking freely in her own home. She wanted to show that there was no way his presence could intimidate her.

_Yeah, and you're not fooling anyone._

_Shut up. _

_

* * *

  
_

Gemini gasped, leaning against the wall for support as the icy water kept rushing over him, making him shake violently, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps, but he stayed in the shower a few minutes more. If anything, it prevented him from concentrating on anything else but the cold and the screaming protests of his already aching muscles as he shook harder.

His knees abruptly gave in, causing him to slip on the bottom of the shower, his back leaning against the wall. He didn't even bother to wrap his arms around himself to try warming up a little – he just stayed limp under the cold stream. At least the scratches didn't burn anymore: he couldn't even feel them, numb as his body had gone. Not bad, considering that it was exactly the reason why he was there: he didn't want to feel them. He didn't want to _acknowledge_ them.

_It will serve no purpose – those scratches will still be there, you know._

_But I won't feel them._

_You'll only manage to get yourself sick._

Gemini smiled bitterly despite the icy cold water still rushing over him.

_Looks like I already am._

_

* * *

  
_

"What the…? Great, and now he thinks I'm going to pick up the stuff he breaks," Dr. Director muttered to no one in particular as she glanced at the broken glass on the ground with a scowl. She was going to have a chat with him about breaking her stuff…eventually, she thought slightly uncomfortably as she filled another glass with water. As for now she didn't really like the idea of confronting him for any reason…but yes, she would face him eventually: she was in control, she thought, ignoring the way her stomach tensed at the thought as she brought the glass to her lips to drink.

It turned out to be a mistake, for the cold water made her already tense stomach clench in a sudden contraction, causing her to immediately throw up the water she just drank in the sink. She coughed a couple of times before wiping his mouth dry with her sleeve, forcing herself to take deep, steady breaths.

_Oh, yes. I see just how in control you are._

Dr. Director sighed, taking another deep breath. "I'm fine," she hissed to the empty room before straightening herself "I'm perfectly fine." It was a lie, and she knew it, but she could make herself believe it for now, and it would be enough. It _had_ to be enough, she thought as she walked back upstairs to get at least some sleep before she had to get up again – she knew there would be an awful lot of paperwork to get done at the GJ headquarters the next morning, and--

Her chain of thoughts abruptly stopped as she saw the door of the bathroom opening and her brother getting out, wrapping a bathrobe tightly around himself, his hair still wet. For a moment she froze and was really temped to step back before he saw her, then she scowled – there was no reason why she should want to _hide_ from him, let alone in her own home!

"What are you doing here?" she asked sharply, causing Gemini to wince before he turned to look at her.

"I took a shower," he said, glaring back at her challengingly "have I broken some of your precious _rules_?" he sneered.

Dr. Director opened her mouth to retort, but she paused as she noticed something was wrong: her brother was trembling as if he had been caught in the middle of a snowstorm, and he was unusually pale. He was worse than just pale – his skin seemed almost _grey_. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong – I'm _fine_," he nearly snarled, but he didn't sound convincing at his own ears. He shivered again and folded his arms in a poorly disguised attempt to keep himself warm.

"You're shaking," she stated, and for a moment she almost seemed worried "that doesn't exactly scream 'fine' to me."

Gemini snorted. "I'm not," he snapped, but a violent shudder shook his whole frame and denied his words.

"Yeah, I see," she said sharply "Sheldon, you're _freezing_. Either that, or you have Parkinson's."

"It was just a shower – I'll warm up in a minute," he said almost defensively.

"Just a shower? You look like you just swam in the artic! Have you gone insane or what?"

"Why should you care anyway?" her brother growled "you can't tell me what I should or shouldn't do!"

"I _don't_ care!" Dr. Director said almost viciously as she took a step forward, almost startling him "but last thing I need is having you falling ill here. Did you forget I _shouldn't_ be keeping you here? The fact you're here while you're officially wanted puts me in a dangerous position. It could cost me _everything_."

Gemini was about to tell her that there was much more she had done that she definitely didn't want her agents to know about than just keeping him there, but he caught himself just in time: he wasn't sure he wanted to talk about it. Not yet. Not _now_. "Then hand me over to GJ," he retorted "you could easily say I broke in your house just now to get revenge, or that you got me here telling me it was a truce so you could get me, or some crap like that – they would believe you, wouldn't they, baby sister?"

She gritted her teeth. "Don't tempt me," she finally said, stepping past him to her bedroom "drink something hot, take another blanket and get back to sleep. I'm not going to look after you if you get sick."

"It's not like I'd expect you to," he muttered, turning to get downstairs.

"And, Gemini?"

"What?" he glanced at her over his shoulder.

Dr. Director seemed to hesitate just for a moment before speaking. "There are a few hot water bottles in the cabinet near the sink," was all she said before shutting the door behind her and turning the key in the lock. Gemini stared at the closed door for a few moments, still shivering, then he turned away with a bitter expression and went to fetch the hot water bottles. He knew there would be no rest for him that night.

* * *

Indeed, there was no rest for him that night – nor for the nights that followed: neither of them actually got much rest, which made them both even more irritable than they usually were…but now they wouldn't even give vent to it by fighting, because they knew what could happen if they did. Actually they kept avoiding each other as much as they could, not speaking to each other unless they absolutely had to…but everything they felt like shouting to each other lingered between them, unspoken but perfectly clear to both of them.

The tension that had been building in those last few days was quickly getting unbearable, and Dr. Director knew it was only a matter of time before either of them cracked and blew up the shaky truce. And, predictably enough, it was Gemini to crack first.

"You can't keep pretending nothing happened."

Dr. Director froze, her hand still reaching for the handle of the fridge – she hadn't even noticed he had walked in the kitchen. She slowly turned to see him standing in the doorway. "What?"

"You _heard_ me," Gemini snarled "you can't--"

"I can and _will_," his sister snapped "I have no intention to talk about it. Why should we anyway?" she said almost challengingly, glaring at him.

He seemed taken aback by her question. "Because…" he began, but he seemed unable to add anything else.

She scoffed before he could think of anything to say. "That's it – there is no reason why we should. Is it just me, or you're giving it too much importance?" she sneered.

Gemini gritted his teeth, and she knew she had hit a nerve. "I'm not!" he shouted.

"Fine, then – it would only be a waste of time. Nothing of what happened meant anything."

_Are you sure it's the truth?_

_It must be. It's what keeps me sane._

Her brother scowled. "Of course not! I never said--"

"Then why would you want to talk about it?" she retorted. Gemini froze at her remark, once again taken aback, and his sister took a deep breath. When she spoke again her voice was calm but strained, as if it was taking her a great effort to control it. "You have to leave," she said slowly, avoiding to look at him "it's been enough time already. Tomorrow I'll remove the surveillance on some of your acquaintances and let your name slip lower on the most wanted list – you should make it if you're careful enough. I want you to leave by tomorrow evening."

Her brother stared at her for a few moments before nodding. "What about Pepe?" was all he asked.

"I'll bring your dog at mom's place and ask her to look after it while you're away for some business. Wait a few more days before you go to retrieve it – she'll probably have to be kept under surveillance a couple of days more than the others," she bit her lower lip "speaking of which, it wouldn't be a wise move to remove the surveillance from all you acquaintances at once: someone might have suspects. It needs to be done gradually. Is there someone in particular you think might help you in the meanwhile?"

Gemini nodded. "Jack Hench."

"In that case, I'll order my agents to leave him alone first – it shouldn't raise suspects, he technically never did anything illegal," she said with a clear trace of disgust in her voice before looking at him again "I want you to be gone by the time I get back home tomorrow."

He gritted his teeth. "Don't worry, I _will_," was all he said before turning his back to her and leaving the kitchen, slamming the door shut. They avoided each other for the rest of the day, and when he woke up the next morning she was already gone.

* * *

He couldn't leave.

At first he had managed to tell himself it was too early: she probably hadn't had the time to order her agents to loosen the surveillance and stop looking for him. He better wait for a few more hours, he had decided, and so the whole morning had passed.

In the afternoon, he kept repeating himself that maybe he should wait another while. Yes, the way was probably clear by now, but one better be safe than sorry, right? So he had waited, sitting motionless in his sister's living room, unable to focus his thoughts on anything at all for more than a minute.

But by the time the shadows of the evening crept upon the house he had ran out of excuses, and he knew he wasn't going to be able to leave. Not before facing her again.

* * *

Dr. Director sighed tiredly as she finally unlocked the front door and stepped in. It had been another stressing day – trying to restore some order after accident that had happened in Area 51 and that involved Dr. Drakken, Ron Stoppable's naked mole rat and some giant poodle hadn't exactly been easy. Not to mention that the darn poodle had given her agents some serious trouble – she got the distinct feeling that after _that_, even her brother's insufferable chihuahua would seem almost nice.

The thought of her brother made her grimace, but as she switched on the light she was relieved to see he wasn't home anymore. With him gone, everything would finally be normal again. She could forget what had happen and--

"Looks like it wasn't your best workday ever, was it?"

Dr. Director froze only for a moment before turning to see her brother standing behind her, his arms folded. "What are you doing here?" she hissed, the relief immediately turning into something horribly close to panic, and she had to struggle to keep her off fear hidden beneath the shock and the rage. That wasn't right, it wasn't right at all – he was supposed to leave while she was away! She was supposed to not see him again, not before he showed up again with some scheme or before their mother decided to invite them both at her place…she wasn't supposed to have to face him alone again. She couldn't!

Gemini hesitated before shrugging. "I didn't trust you," he lied "how could I be sure it would be safe for me to get out? You could have lied."

Dr. Director snorted. "I didn't get through all this trouble to get you arrested – if I wanted to, I wouldn't have let you escape in the first place. I told you to go away – you had to just _leave_!"

"I told you a thousand times that you can't order me around," he protested "you're my baby sis--"

"_Enough_!" she shouted, and he immediately shut his mouth, mildly surprised to see how upset she was by his presence. But really, what else could he expect? "I've had enough, Gemini. I want you to be out of here by tomorrow morning, early enough so I don't have to meet you – and should I see you here when I wake up, I'll hand you over," her only eye narrowed "is that clear?"

Gemini clenched his jaw. "Seems like you're taking it badly, aren't you?" he said, half tauntingly, half bitterly "do I scare you or--"

"_Is that clear_?" his sister growled again, taking a step forward – she wasn't up for any mind game, not now. There was a brief silence as they stared at each other.

"Yes," he finally said.

Dr. Director expected him to make some sarcastic remark, but none came. She nodded. "Fine," she said coldly, stepping past him "be gone by tomorrow morning."

"Wait."

She stopped on her tracks and glanced at his over her shoulder. "What do you want?"

Gemini hesitated, not really knowing what he could say – he couldn't really tell why he had called out for her, really: he had spoken without thinking. He bit his lower lip.

"Well?" she asked, folding her arms and expecting him to come up with some crap about her being his baby sister and not being allowed t leave until her older brother told her to, but no answer came from Gemini. Dr. Director felt a strong urge to leave, to ignore the fact he had spoken and just walk away – but she didn't. She had one question to ask, and she had to ask it before she came to her sense and left the room. "Why?" she finally asked. She didn't need to specify what she meant.

Gemini shrugged. "I told you, I didn't trust your word enough to leave," he said, knowing perfectly she wouldn't believe him. And in fact, she didn't. Dr. Director just kept staring at him, still ignoring the part of her mind that kept telling her to just forget it and get away. Gemini could only stand her gaze for a few moments before he turned away with a grimace. "Now you're the one looking for hidden meanings where there is none," he muttered.

"_Why_?" she asked again, already knowing the answer and fearing it, but unable to keep herself from asking.

He shook his head gave an odd laugh. "Can't you guess?"

Dr. Director bit her lip. "You should have left," she said quietly.

"I tried to," Gemini replied, and there was a hint of rage in his voice as he glared at her again "I tried to!" he repeated louder, as if trying to justify himself.

She suddenly felt enraged at him for not leaving when he should have, for putting her in that situation, for making her face him again when she wasn't ready to. "Looks like you didn't try hard enough," she said sharply.

He scoffed. "I could still leave now," he pointed out "I don't have to wait for tomorrow morning."

"Fine, then _leave_," Dr. Director snapped "you know where the door is."

"_Fine_," Gemini growled, turning his back to her and walking to the door. He reached for the doorknob, then he stopped, his blank gaze fixed ahead. All his senses were screaming for him to open that blasted door, get away and be done with that _madness_…but it still seemed so odd just leaving like that after over two weeks…and after all that happened.

"You haven't forgotten how to open a door, have you?" his sister said coldly.

He turned to glare at her. "It's not that, it's just…how do I _know_ there aren't your agents waiting for me outside or something?" he lied lamely.

Dr. Director scowled. "You're getting pathetic," she said, sounding almost disgusted, but her voice was trembling a little "now go away."

Gemini hesitated as he detected the weariness in her voice. "Betty, I…"

"_Go away_!" she shouted, cutting off whatever he was about to say – she couldn't stand staying in the same room with him for one more moment "go away and don't come back!"

Her brother winced, and Dr. Director had only one moment to feel almost guilty at the nearly pained expression that crossed his features before he scowled. "Very well," he said furiously "but watch your back, baby sister – it doesn't end here! I always return to take back what's mine, and our next meeting will end with your demise!"

She was so furious that she couldn't even bring herself to wonder what in the world did he mean with is last sentence. Her only eye narrowed. "We'll see about that," she said just as he finally stepped outside, slamming the door shut behind him.

Dr. Director drew in a shaky breath and stood still for a few minutes, waiting for her heartbeat to settle, then she glanced around. She had nearly forgotten how quiet that house was when she was alone – there had been moments she had been yearning for some silence while her brother was there, but now that silence seemed overwhelming. She probably just wasn't used to it anymore, Dr. Director told herself as she finally walked to the pull out bed her brother had been sleeping onto for the past couple of weeks and sat down, her unfocused gaze resting on his pillow. Against her best judgement she reached down to grab it and put it on her lap, her fingers gripping the fabric as she realized there was his scent still lingering on it.

She stayed motionless for a long time, blankly staring ahead, refusing to acknowledge the sudden sense of loneliness that pervaded her.

* * *

It was very early in the morning when the limousine stopped in front of the Hench. Co. and Jack Hench walked out, wearing his best business attire. He liked getting to work as soon as he could – after all, one's mind works better right after a good night of rest: why wasting a such potential by oversleeping? Lost sleep could easily be caught up later, but a messed up business couldn't: it was one of the most useful things experience had taught him. He smiled at the thought and gestured to the driver to leave.

His henchmen – they were more like bodyguards, but calling them like that seemed fitting considering what his business was about – were already standing near the entrance of the building. He had barely the time to take a few step in their direction when a familiar voice reached his ears.

"Still an early riser, I see."

Jack Hench turned to the man who had just spoken, then he smiled and gestured his henchmen – who had already begun to approach – to stay near the entrance. "Gemini," he greeted his old friend "I almost didn't recognize you."

"That was kind of the point," Gemini said with a smirk. He had shaved, and he was wearing a hat and sunglasses – to hide his missing eye, no doubt: a man with an eye patch wasn't likely to pass unnoticed.

"Of course, one can never be too sure," Hench agreed as they walked to the entrance "I was starting to get worried – where have you been?" he asked.

"In a safe place," Gemini replied vaguely, waving his left hand – his prosthetic hand never left the pocket of the coat he was wearing "but I couldn't contact you, not while there was still the risk they could track down the call. I needed to wait to make sure I could get here undisturbed."

"A wise choice, but now you can take those sunglasses off," Hench said with a hint of amusement.

"I will once we're inside. I'm still wanted, and as you just said, one can never be too sure."

* * *

"Yes, mom, I'm fine," Dr. Director said for what seemed the tenth time in five minutes, sipping some coffee. She didn't usually drink coffee in the morning: that was usually needed while she was busy with paperwork, which could get awfully tiring and incredibly boring. This time, however, she felt like drinking the whole coffee pot – it happens when you didn't get to sleep for more than a few minutes, she mused…even more so when those few minutes were filled with unpleasant dreams and memories she would rather not think about. She had another busy day ahead, and she certainly couldn't get through it while she felt like falling asleep any moment.

"Are you sure? You sound tired," Theresa said, sounding somewhat worried.

"I had a lot of work to do lately, but I'll be fine," Dr. Director said vaguely – she certainly couldn't tell her the whole story, could she? She bit her lower lip at the thought, suddenly anxious to end that phone call. "Don't worry."

"You work too much," her mother chided her, and Dr. Director couldn't help but smile a little.

"Look who's talking!"

Theresa chuckled. "Touché, I suppose – but at least I made it to retirement in one piece," she joked.

"Alright, this is my turn to say touché," her daughter admitted, but her laugh was somewhat strained. Her mother had no idea of the true circumstances that had led to the loss of her eye, nor she suspected it had anything to do with…whatever Sheldon had told her to justify what had happened to _his_ eye. Dr. Director had no idea of what she could think upon knowing the truth, nor she wished to find out – she was better off not knowing it. There were a lot of things their mother was better off to knowing about them, she mused bitterly.

"Have you heard from Sheldon lately?" her mother suddenly asked, making her groan inwardly – it was exactly the last subject matter se would have wanted her to come up with…then again, it had to come up sooner or later: she had mainly called to ask her to keep that annoying rat her brother insisted to call a dog until he would get it back after all. "I tried to call him a few times, but his cell phone is off."

"Yes, I did hear from him – his cell phone broke," Dr. Director said. It wasn't even a lie after all: he had crushed it with his mechanical hand while they argued about the Ron Factor. "He had to leave for some business, but he should be back soon."

"Go figure – he could at least let his mother know. What am I supposed to do with him?" Theresa asked in mock exasperation, and Dr. Director gave a somewhat melancholic smile.

_What to do with him? I wish I knew._

"By the way, would you mind keeping his dog for a while? He left it here, but we don't really get along. Maybe it would be better off with you – Sheldon will retrieve him as soon as he gets back."

"Of course," Theresa agreed "you can drop the little bugger here anytime."

Dr. Director chuckled. "Sheldon would get mad if he heard you."

"He doesn't get mad at _me_, he would just sulk a little. And it's not my fault if his dog is neurotic," was the reply "I don't know what's wrong with that thing. His mother isn't like that, and his grandmother was much friendlier too."

"Definitely," Dr. Director found herself smiling faintly as she was reminded of the small dog her brother had adopted after almost hitting it with his bike all those years before. Mimi, wasn't it? Yes, that was her name. From what she had heard from their mother – Sheldon had already turned into her worst enemy by then – her brother had been devastated when she had found her dead in her basket one morning. She had been sorry as well; she hadn't pitied her brother, of course, but she was still fond on that dog. Then again, she was old and she had died in her sleep: Dr. Director supposed there were worse ways to leave. "Wasn't that his great-grandmother anyway?"

"Oh, it could he his great-great-whatever for all I know – we had so many litters I lost track years ago. Still, I can't remember any other dog we had that was as crazy as that one."

"Yes, I know – but Ge…I mean, Sheldon adores that thing. Is it a problem if I drop over there this evening with the little monster?"

Theresa seemed enthusiastic. "It would be wonderful – it's been a while since your last visit."

Her daughter smiled a little sheepishly at the implied rebuke. "I know, but I've been busy and…no, don't worry for dinner, I could eat something on my way," she paused "stuffed turkey? Well, that changes everything. I'll let you know around what time I'll be there. Yes, sure. Bye."

Dr. Director sighed as she hung the phone. Well, that was it – she only had to bring that yelping pain in the neck to her mother, and she would be done with that whole mess, free to simply forget anything had ever happened.

_As if forgetting could ever be possible._

She shook her head somewhat angrily before glancing up at the clock. She wasn't late on her schedule, but she would if she didn't move immediately. She just hoped there wouldn't be too much trouble around the world, at least for that day.

* * *

"Here, have a seat," Hench said, sitting to his desk, and Gemini couldn't hold back a smirk as he though of the terror that those words caused to his agents when he spoke them. "I'd offer you some brandy, but I suppose it's far too early for that," Jack Hench went on, reaching to press a button on the phone on his desk "two cups of coffee, one for me and one for my guest."

Gemini nodded – yes, a cup of coffee was exactly what he needed: it had taken him most of the night to get there, and he had spent the few hours before sunrise wandering to not fall asleep. He already knew who would fill his dreams – his nightmares – if he dared to sleep that night. "Good idea. I want mine to be--"

"…straight black, no milk, no sugar," Hench was already saying at the interphone before turning to him with a shrug "I still remember how you like your coffee."

Gemini bit his lower lip as he remembered how his sister had said the very same thing when he had woken up in her home the first time, but he immediately chased the thought. "I forgot how good your memory is."

"Considering that I spent years watching you drinking that poison, it didn't take much," he said, then he raised an eyebrow "are you going to keep those sunglasses on for the whole time?"

"Oh, right," Gemini muttered, reaching up to take off the glasses after only a slight hesitation, and Hench was startled to see that his eye patch was gone: he had never seen Gemini without it after he lost his eye. His eyelid was tightly shut and crossed by a reddish scar, and it was clear there was nothing but an empty socket behind it. Hench was quick to recollect himself, but his reaction didn't pass unnoticed to Gemini, who smirked a little tiredly. "Far from a pretty sight, uh?"

Jack shook his head slightly. "Let's just say I was taken by surprise. What happened to your eye patch?"

"I lost it while escaping from the GJ headquarters," Gemini lied before changing subject "speaking of that, I hope those Global Justice twits didn't give you too much trouble."

"Oh, no, not at all. I'm pretty sure they put my phone under surveillance, of course, but I'm always careful to not say anything…compromising when I know I could be easily intercepted – I have quite some experience when it comes to taking care of my business without actually _breaking_ any law. Anyway," he said, leaning forward "I suppose you're not simply here to ask me about that."

"Why, I'm wounded – who do you take me for?" Gemini said dramatically, making Jack Hench chuckle, then he turned serious "I need to access to those bank accounts," he said. He had most of his money on bank accounts the Hench. Co officially owned – a simply but effective way to keep anyone from realizing whose money that really was.

"Sure," Hench nodded "do you want me to transfer the money on the ones you can access to directly?"

"If it's not asking too much."

"Not at all – I'll transfer the money you need today," was the reply "what are you planning to do next?"

Gemini shrugged. "I have another base in Canada – half of my agents should still be there, waiting for orders. I'll use that one, and after that I'll only need some minor adjustments to get back to business."

Hench nodded. "I understand – you can use my helicopter to move there whenever you wish."

"It won't be necessary, I'll have one sent here once I contact my agents in the base."

"I understand. But until that moment, consider yourself my guest," Hench said, reaching for his cup of coffee as the secretary put the cups on the desk and immediately left "would you like to stay for a while before you go? I don't have much work left this week, and I have a new bowling alley I can't wait to try out. Not to mention some excellent cigars a business partner brought from Cuba."

Sipping his coffee, Gemini nodded. "Thank you, Jack. I might just take advantage of your hospitality for a few days," he said. Truth to be told, after so much time of inactivity he was itching to get back to work, but Jack had been willing to help him out and they hadn't met in a while – he could wait another few days. Besides, he couldn't say the past weeks had been relaxing: he needed some time to soothe his nerves before he got back to work…not before dropping by his mother's home to visit her and get back his Pepe, of course. His dog had never been separated from him for so long – he would get him some new chew toy to make up for it, he decided.

Hench seemed pleased by his reply, although mildly surprised. "And here I thought you couldn't wait to make your…I mean, to make GJ pay," he said, catching himself just in time: he knew his friend wouldn't take it well when his sister was mentioned.

Gemini, however, didn't even seem to acknowledge his slip. He finished his coffee before replying. "I have something in mind already, but it will take time. I better be patient – it will be worth it," he said, his gaze fixed ahead.

Yes, it would be worth the time and effort: he would prove his sister nothing had changed; he would prove her he had always been the strongest one, the older brother. And, most of all, he would throw her another challenge so she wouldn't forget he was still there, waiting, scheming. It was the same reason why he had left her a reminder before he walked away: because he wanted to tell her he would be back, because he wanted her to remember he would always be working for her downfall, not matter what…or maybe, he mused uncomfortably, it was just because he _needed_ her to remember he would be there – to remember _him_.

Until they day they met again.

* * *

Dr. Director knew something was off the moment she reached for the doorknob to close the front door behind her: instead of the cold steel of the door knob, her fingers met something that wasn't supposed to be there – a small patch of cloth with an elastic band. It took her just a moment to realize what it was; after all, it was exactly what she wore every day over her missing eye as well.

She bit her lower lip and turned slowly as she took the small object hanging form her doorknob – Gemini's eye patch: he had surely left it there when he left the previous evening. Yet another of his reminders, she thought. As if there was any risk she could forget about him!

For a moment she was almost tempted to throw it away, but she couldn't bring herself to. She glanced down at it, a small, wry smile curling her lips as her brother's words echoed somewhere in her mind.

_I always return to take back what's mine._

Without even thinking about what she was doing, Dr. Director took off her eye patch and put Gemini's one in its place, adjusting it so it would cover her right socket. "Then come to take it back, Sheldon," she whispered to no one in particular, clutching her own eye patch tightly in her fist "I'll be ready."

And indeed, was. She was ready to face him again without even wincing to the dinner their mother invited them both at her place not even a couple of weeks later, and she was ready to lead Global Justice to thwart WEE's latest evil scheme shortly after that. She was more than ready for that sort of things.

She wasn't ready, however, to realize that the section of the meds cabinet where she kept the birth control pills contained at least three more pills than it should have by the end of that month, meaning that stressed as she was while dealing with Gemini she had neglected taking them for at least three days – enough for birth control to fail and leave her unprotected.

And she _definitely_ wasn't ready for what the pregnancy test would tell her just a few days after the discovery. Dr. Director had never really believed in Murphy's Law, but apparently she had been wrong. Dead wrong.


	19. Nicholas

_A/N: well, here's the epilogue. At first it wasn't even supposed to exist, then it became so insanely long that I would have had to split it in two if it got barely a little longer. This fic just refused to let me end already _XD

* * *

"We'll bring him back here in a few minutes so you can feed him. Now you better get some rest, it's been…"

Dr. Director faintly heard the nurse saying something, but she was simply too tired to even try understanding exactly what she was trying to tell her. Besides, she had spent the past eight months or so talking to some many doctors, nurses and specialists, so she supposed she could at least take a break _now_.

It hadn't been a problematic pregnancy, far from it: there had been no complications, and thus none of the doctors she had spoken with could fathom the reason of her almost compulsive worrying about the child's health and her insistence to take whatever test had ever been thought up to make sure it would be healthy. One of them had actually asked her if there was any _reason_ why she was that worried, but Dr. Director had only given him a vague answer since she suspected that anything along the lines of 'because I know that children born from inbreeding can be seriously messed up' wasn't the kind of reply she wanted to give to anyone. And even after all tests had confirmed her that the child she was expecting was healthy, she had insisted to take them again – the look the doctor had given her had been almost as baffled as the looks she had gotten from pretty much every GJ agent once they had known she was going on maternity leave.

When the second round of tests had confirmed the child was fine – and a boy, she had also been informed – she had finally stopped worrying about that. Well, almost: she had been completely reassured only little more than a hour earlier, when she had actually _seen_ Nicholas – a perfectly normal-looking, wailing child with rather powerful lungs – squirming in the nurse's arms while said nurse clamped his umbilical cord assured her over and over that yes, the baby was _really_ perfectly fine.

A small smile curled Dr. Director's lips as she remembered how exasperated the nurse seemed by the fifth time she asked…then again she needed to be _sure_, she thought before yawning and shifting just a little to find a more comfortable position. While giving birth hadn't hurt – whoever came up with epidural anesthesia deserved a Nobel prize – Dr. Director couldn't deny that the labor had been _tiring_: after going through that, she felt like she could go through the hardest training course they had in the GJ headquarters thrice in a row without breaking a sweat.

_And the worse is yet to come. I get the distinct feeling that dealing with terrorists, criminal organizations and plots to take over the world is going to seem a walk in the park compared to having to look after a kid. You're just not wired for this kind of things, and I strongly doubt you're ever going to make much of a mother. Why did you even decide to keep him?_

Dr. Director scowled, trying to chase away that last thought. She had actually asked herself that same question many times, mainly in the late stages of the pregnancy, and she could only come up with one answer: she just hadn't _thought_ about the possibility she could simply abort and keep going on with her life, or at least try to. Since the moment she had realized she had to be expecting – well, maybe a few moments after that if she considered the minutes she had spent staring at the result of the test with her mind clouded by utter panic and horror – there had been one thought in her mind: making sure the child would be fine. What had brought to that conception had been their mistake, hers and her brother's, and the thought that mistake could result with the birth of someone whose life would be pure hell was unbearable.

Had she been told the child would have serious issues…well, in that case she probably wouldn't have kept him, she admitted to herself. And after knowing that the child was healthy and developing well the thought of aborting hadn't really crossed her mind, and she supposed the fact that once she was done with the second round of tests she was past the time frame in which abortion would be allowed had had a hand in that.

_He's fine, and that's what matters for now. As for the rest…I'll manage. I still have a few months of maternity leave, and after that I could hire a baby sitter, or find a good day care facility. And I could bring the paperwork home so I can file it there; if I keep myself reachable twenty four-seven in any case, I could spend a lot more time home. I could make it work. I _can_ make it work._

_And what about Sheldon? He's not stupid, I bet it didn't take him much to put two and two together. He will soon claim he has rights over Nicholas – do you have any idea of how much he could he could damage him?_

This time Dr. Director actually snarled. "He'd just have to _try_," she said to the empty room. Still, she couldn't deny that the thought worried her; the look on his face when she had gathered enough courage to tell him and their mother about the pregnancy during some family dinner – mostly to their mother since she had barely looked at him while she spoke – had been enough for her to know he at least suspected…

"Betty?"

Dr. Director recoiled and turned to the door, then she relaxed and leant her head back on the pillow with a weak, somewhat forced smile. "Hi, mom."

Theresa chuckled at her tired expression. "Was it _that_ bad? I thought the epidural is supposed to work wonders," she said, walking closer and sitting next to the bed.

"It does – it didn't hurt. But it was still tiring," Dr. Director made a face "I'm not sure I want to know what it will be like once the effect of anesthesia wears off.

"Oh, don't complain too much – I didn't even have that, but I survived," her mother said with a chuckle, though for a moment she almost frowned at the memory. Giving birth to her and Sheldon had been a long and painful business, and she would never forget the terror that had gripped her throat when one of the nurses had muttered that the firstborn wasn't breathing and had quickly brought him out of the room, leaving her to wonder if her child would make it while struggling to deliver the other child – Betty. She shook her head slightly to chase away the thought and gazed at her daughter again. "I called Sheldon, by the way. He said he'd try to get her as soon as he could."

Dr. Director's stomach clenched at the thought, but she managed to hide it and just nodded. "He doesn't _have_ to," she said, but she already knew he would. Now that Nicholas was born, he would only have to count nine months backwards to have the _certainty_ that--

"But of course he has to – he just became a uncle," Theresa laughed at the thought, and Dr. Director bit her lower lip "but heaven knows how I'd rather _not_ think that this makes _me_ a grandmother."

Her daughter smiled a little. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but apparently it does."

"Oh, well, I guess I'll learn to live with it," her mother winked before turning to look at the clock "what time did they say they'd bring him here for feeding?" she asked, and Dr. Director could clearly see she was looking forward to see her grandchild.

_She wouldn't be so eager and happy if she only knew._

Dr. Director did her best to ignore that thought and shrugged. "I'm not sure – pretty soon, I guess. Just enough time to clean him up," she said, and she couldn't ignore a stab of nervousness in her stomach at the thought she was actually going to have to hold and feed a newborn. She had tried to inform herself as much as possible of the subject, of course, but knowing the theory and actually _doing_ something were two completely different things.

"I hope they won't take too long, the first few hours are very important," her mother said, her experience as a nurse and a mother clearly kicking in.

"He was born not even an hour and a half ago, mom. Give them a minute."

Theresa sighed. "And to think I couldn't stand apprehensive grandparents when I worked in the hospital," she joked before turning serious "Betty, are you sure that leaving his father out of his life is the best choice?"

Dr. Director bit her lower lip – that was just about the last question she had wanted to hear, let alone from her mother. "Yes," she said quietly "I was serious when I said he's not the kind of person that should be let take care of a child. And he doesn't want to, so he was happy to just disappear when I told him to," she added. She had been telling that same lie to everyone since the beginning…but at least when she said he wasn't the kind of person who should be allowed to take care of a child, she was telling the truth. She forced herself to ignore the sudden coldness in her stomach at the thought of what could happen should _anyone_ ever know the truth.

Her mother simply nodded. "Alright – if you say it's for the best, I believe you," she told her, then she smiled a little "I don't remember if I ever told you, but after Gerald…your father died, I was sent some of his personal effects. He had a picture of you and Sheldon in his wallet."

"He did?" Dr. Director seemed surprised and somewhat saddened for a few moments, then she sighed. Maybe had been for the better that she hadn't told them back then. The less they thought of the man who had just died as their father, the better it was. She was about to say something, but she trailed off as the door opened and a loud wailing greeted her ears.

Both her and Theresa turned to see a nurse walking in with a freshly cleaned newborn in her arms. He clearly hadn't appreciated being taken away from his mother, and thus he was using his brand new lungs to make sure absolutely _everyone_ in a mile would know just how displeased he was. As she sat up on the bed Dr. Director faintly hoped it wouldn't become a habit, or else she could wave her sleep pattern goodbye.

"Here you go, Nicky," the nurse cooed at the infant before she put him in Dr. Director's arms "here, hold his head up…do you need any help?"

"I know how it works. I'll call for you if I don't manage," Dr. Director said a little mechanically, and the nurse left. She seemed somewhat uncertain – an unusual thing of her, Theresa mused – but her gestures were surprisingly accurate and confident as she cradled the baby in the right position, and to her credit only moments later Nicholas had stopped crying and was enjoying his first meal.

Dr. Director tried to ignore the odd sensation spreading in her chest any time she glanced down at the baby. Until that moment she hadn't actually allowed herself to think of the child as, well, a child. She had viewed the pregnancy as nothing different from an unforeseeable accident that had to be dealt with, focusing her attention on playing her part the best she could as if she were dealing with some mission…but now she knew that the hardest part had just started. It wouldn't be like accomplishing a mission, and there was no way she could simply focus on the task while keeping herself emotionally detached and objective – it would be so different and so much more difficult than that, with no protocols to follow and no black and white scenarios.

And the thought scared her, she thought, absentmindedly reaching to touch the baby's hand with, and she bit her lower lip before she allowed herself to smile a little as his tiny hand wrapped around her finger.

_You can't allow yourself to be scared, not now. You decided to keep this child, and now it's your full responsibility taking care of him. You can take a fair share of responsibility towards the world's safety; what's raising a child in comparison? _

"Not bad. Have you been making practice with other people's babies?" Theresa joked with a chuckle, snapping her daughter from her thoughts, then she took a closer look at the baby "well, good for you there is that kind of anaesthesia these days, or else this big guy would have been a pain to deliver," she smiled and reached to gently stroke the baby's back with her thumb. Nicholas didn't seem to notice, all his attention focused on his meal.

"Says the one who had to deliver twins," Dr. Director pointed out.

"Oh, but you and Sheldon were so _tiny_," Theresa replied with a shrug "twins tend to be smaller than average as newborns, and you were no exception. This little giant must be close to ten pounds."

Dr. Director raised an eyebrow. "Isn't 'little giant' kind of an oxymoron?"

"My, Betty, who killed your sense of humor?" her mother rolled her eyes, but she was smiling as she let a finger gently brush over the smooth brown hair on the baby's head "good luck dealing with her, big guy."

"Aren't you supposed to be wishing _me_ good luck?"

"Nope. And if he turns out to be even half as troublesome as you and your brother were, I'll call it poetic justice. By the way, maybe I should call Sheldon to tell him he better move if he wants to be here before--"

"No!"

Theresa blinked, and Dr. Director realized she had spoken a little too forcefully – even Nicholas had stopped suckling for a few moments, a little startled, then he decided nothing important was going on and resumed his snack. "I mean…there's no need to. He's probably busy anyway," she said, trying to keep her voice as calm as she could "I don't want to disturb--"

"Now, what kind of uncle would I be if I couldn't find the time to visit my _nephew_, Betty?"

For an instant Dr. Director could have sworn her blood had turned into ice in her veins. Her grip around the baby tightened slightly as she turned to face her brother. He was standing on the doorway, his gaze shifting from her to Nicholas and then back to her, his expression unreadable. "Sheldon," she greeted him quietly.

"Here you are!" Theresa greeted her son, clearly oblivious of the tension between him and his sister – she always was, and sometimes Dr. Director wondered if she really couldn't tell there was any kind of tension or if she unconsciously ignored it. Maybe they were just good at hiding it. "It didn't take you much."

"I wasn't really far from here," he said vaguely, and Dr. Director knew with horrible certainty that it hadn't been a coincidence – he had been observing them, and _waiting_.

"Really?" she asked, her voice as cold as it could be without making Theresa suspect anything was wrong.

"Really," Gemini said almost forcefully before he took a few steps forward and looked down at the child. He smiled – no, Dr. Director thought, he _grinned_ – down at him before he spoke again. "So this little one is my nephew, uh?" he muttered, a slightly scowl on his face as he uttered the word 'nephew'.

Still completely oblivious of what was going on, Theresa patted his back. "Yes, unless they switched him in the nursery, it's him. I was starting to think neither of you would ever give me any grandchild," she joked, and Dr. Director could have sworn she had seen a bitter expression crossing her brother's features before he nodded, his gaze resting on the newborn for another instant before he turned away so that their mother wouldn't see the scowl on his face.

"Well, congrats," he heard himself muttering avoiding to look at his sister.

"Thank you," she said mechanically – not because she really meant it, but because she didn't want their mother to realize something was off. She was about to say something about how she suddenly felt tired and should probably be left alone with Nick, but before she could Gemini had turned to their mother.

"Mom, do you have some water? I kinda had to rush, and I'm thirsty," he said.

Their mother shook her head. "No, but I saw a vending machine downstairs. I'll go get something to drink – no, no, I have coins already, don't worry," she said as she noticed he had reached for his wallet.

Dr. Director gritted her teeth as she realized that Gemini was just using and excuse to be alone with her and Nicholas. "There's no need to – I could call a nurse to get some water," she said quickly, but Theresa dismissively waved her hand.

"Oh, no need to bother them with stuff like this. It will take me a minute anyway, there's the elevator – you just stay to know your nephew a little better," she added, giving her son a pat on the back.

Gemini gave her an odd smile. "Sure."

For a moment Dr. Director was about to call out for her again, then she decided against it. She knew her brother wouldn't give up until they had discussed that issue, so she probably better get it done as soon as possible. She just sat there with Nicholas still cradled in her arms as their mother left, closing the door behind her. There were a few moments of silence as she kept staring at the door, ignoring her brother's presence…but she knew he wouldn't let her ignore him for long.

"So, baby sister," Gemini finally sneered as he leant his back against the wall, his arms folded "do you know how long it's been since last time we've been…alone in the same room?" he asked, and it certainly didn't take a genius to know what exactly he was referring to.

Dr. Director snorted and glared back at him, pretending she hadn't drawn any connection. "Not long enough," she stated icily.

Gemini's eye narrowed. "It's been about nine months, give or take a few days. It's been enough, if you ask to me. Enough to make me _wonder_," his gaze finally fell on the child, who was still suckling at his mother's breast, clearly determinated to make up for the lost time and fill his tummy "who's his father, Betty?"

"Why should it matter to you?" Dr. Director asked coldly.

"It does," Gemini snarled. He didn't know which answer he feared the most – that the child was really _his_, or that his sister had been with another man just around the time he had slept with her. Not that it truly _mattered_ still… "Why did you refuse to tell anyone who it is?"

"It's none of your business," his sister retorted, her eye narrowing as well, and Gemini finally snapped.

"Don't play dumb!" he roared, startling Nicholas before he forced himself to lower his voice "I have every right to know…!" he began, but he trailed off as his sister scoffed.

"No, you don't. You have no right as far as he's concerned. You better keep yourself as far as you can from _my_ son, Gemini," she hissed, her grip on Nicholas tightening so much that the baby squirmed uncomfortably and seemed about to wail for a few moments before she loosened her grip it again and he calmed down enough to resume suckling, completely oblivious of everything that was going on around him.

Gemini was shaking with barely suppressed anger, but he didn't dare to raise his voice and startle the child again. "You must tell me the truth, Betty!" he growled.

Dr. Director stared back at him, apparently unimpressed. "I have nothing to tell you, Gemini. Nothing but this: stay away from him. From _us_," she said, her voice deadly quiet. She knew it wouldn't be above Gemini targeting whoever mattered to her, and she wanted to make her point perfectly clear – she would go to any lengths to make sure Nicholas would be safe. "Should you ever mess with him, should you ever try to _use_ him against me, you'll regret being even born. I'll turn your life into a such hell that you'll _beg_ to be brought to prison and away from me."

He seemed startled for a moment by the venom in her voice, then he scoffed. "Is that a threat?" he asked.

"No. It's a warning," she said slowly "be wise for once in your life and leave him alone."

Her brother's face was growing crimson with anger, but before he could retort the door opened again and their mother stepped back in, causing Dr. Director to give a silent sigh of relief and forcing Gemini to swallow whatever he had been about to say. "Here's your water, I just found…Sheldon, are you alright?" Theresa asked, a little surprised to see how reddened his face was.

Gemini quickly nodded. "I'm fine, I'm just…it's hot in here," he lied quickly, reaching out to take the water bottle "thanks."

"You're welcome," his mother said, a little surprised by how he began drinking as if he had been hiking through a desert "have you checked your blood pressure lately?"

"Mom, I told you I'm fi--" Gemini began to protest, but his mother snorted.

"Oh, don't give me that – I bet you haven't checked your pressure in years," she scolded him "you know you should be careful…!"

He sighed. "Fine, fine, I'll get a check up soon," he reassured her. He shot another gaze at Dr. Director and Nicholas – who had just stopped suckling and was now shifting a little to find a comfortable position to get a little nap in his mother's arms – before he tore his gaze away from them. "I should get going," he finally said "I have…a reunion I should attend to in half an hour."

Dr. Director almost snorted at the obvious lie, but she held back just in time as their mother spoke again. "I wouldn't have told you to get here now if I knew you were this busy," she said.

Gemini shook his head. "No, it's alright. I had some time and I was anxious to get to meet my _nephew_," he muttered the last word as if it left a bitter taste in his mouth. Theresa didn't notice, but it was enough to make Dr. Director tense slightly as he spoke again. "I'll drop by some other time," he told her, his only eye fixed on Nicholas.

"Sure," she replied, her voice perfectly calm, but her gaze was enough to tell him he had better not do anything rash.

I won't let you do anything that might hurt him, she thought, and she didn't really need to see the grimace of her brother's face to know he had gotten the message perfectly. He _knew_ he would have to get over her dead body to get Nick…but she hoped he wouldn't dare, for there was a part of her – a small part of her that apparently hadn't forgotten the years when she and her brother had genuinely cared for each other – that simply refused to think that Sheldon would sink _that_ low.

And, for one time's sake, it turned out to be right.

* * *

**Seven years later.**

Despite her not exactly bright mood, Dr. Director couldn't help but feel somewhat amused by the thought she was probably the only person in the world who was currently glaring at her arch-nemesis over a roast stuffed turkey…especially since her arch-nemesis seemed to be far too busy eating to even bother to glare back at her.

She glanced back to her own dish, taking a few bites despite the fact she wasn't really hungry. Her mother would probably smack her in the head if she didn't at least eat the first serving of her stuffed turkey – she had insisted to cook herself for all of them, and now she expected them to eat. Dr. Director wondered faintly how many people would still be that eager to do so while in their late eighties already.

"Mom? Hey, mom?"

Dr. Director blinked as she realized someone had been waving a hand in front of her face to get back her attention. She glanced up to see Nicholas hopefully glancing at her, grinning a little sheepishly. "More potatoes?" he said hopefully.

"More potatoes, _please_," she corrected him a little absentmindedly, pushing the dish with the potatoes closer to him. Before the kid could take it, however, Gemini snatched under his nose.

"Thanks, baby sister – I was _just_ about to ask," he grinned.

"Hey, I asked first!" Nicholas protested, reaching up for the dish, but Gemini easily held it above his reach.

"But I _got_ it first!"

"_Mooom_!"

Dr. Director sighed, trying to hold back the grimace that threatened to show on her face any time she saw her brother anywhere near her son. "Are you reduced to pick fights with _children_ now, Sheldon?" she said coldly, almost wishing he had brought that stupid dog of his with him instead of leaving it in the hands of some of his agents because 'the poor little thing' was apparently too old now to stand the stress of meeting her. Had he brought it with him, he would at least focus his attention on it.

"Yeah, heard that? Not fair, uncle!" the kid protested, but he seemed somewhat amused "not _fair_…!"

"I don't play fair, kid," Gemini said with a shrug, but he eventually gave him back the dish and ruffled his already unruly brown hair before turning to his sister. "See? I was just _joking_ with him, Betty. Is the fact I'm joking with my _nephew_ something to get your feathers ruffled over?" he asked, his voice dripping with a sarcasm that Nicholas didn't even notice.

Dr. Director's only eye narrowed. "I guess not," she said, fully knowing their mother could still hear them from the kitchen, where she was fetching the dessert…but her gaze was more than enough to let her brother know what she was thinking.

_Stay away from him, Gemini. Don't even try to mess with him. I won't let you._

"Hey, uncle Sheldon?" Nicholas called, his mouth still stuffed.

Gemini turned to him, leaning back on his seat. "What?" he asked, trying to not scowl upon being called 'uncle'. He had never imagined he could end up despising so much a harmless word such as that one.

"No speaking when your mouth's full, Nick," Dr. Director said a little more sternly than she meant to, her only eye still fixed on her brother.

"Ops," the kid immediately swallowed the bite before speaking again "tell me again how you got that hand," he said eagerly, looking at Gemini's mechanical hand. It had always fascinated him, and one of the highlights of the day had been watching him shooting those missiles from his fingertips.

"Again? You heard that one at least a dozen times," Gemini nearly groaned, and Dr. Director couldn't hold back a small smirk.

_And you have no idea of how many times he asked how I lost my eye. And God, wasn't I tempted to tell him the truth so he could know what kind of person you are! The only reason I didn't is because you're the closest thing to a father figure he has, whether I want it or not…and because I don't want him to find out just what kind of person _I_ am. There are a lot of things I don't want him to find out._

Unaware of his mother's thoughts, Nicholas nodded. "Yes, again!"

Gemini sighed, glancing down at his mechanical hand. "Well, it's not a very long story – and you better keep eating while I tell you, or else your mother might decide to smite me," he added, glaring at her. Dr. Director simply glared back, saying nothing, and he finally turned back to the child. "Do I at least get to skip the 'how I lost the hand' part?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Are you _kidding_? That's the best part!"

"I bed to differ," Gemini grumbled, scowling at the memory.

"Aw, c'mon!"

Gemini sighed, muttering something about kids these days having issues before he started to tell the whole story starting from that summer afternoon nearly thirty years before.

"That story again?" Theresa guessed, putting the pie on the table and sitting next to her daughter.

Dr. Director nodded. "Yes, that story again. He's managing to make it sound a lot better."

"He surely cannot make it sound any worse than it really was," her mother said, frowning slightly at the memory before she finally shrugged. "You two better resume your storytelling later if you want to get some pie," she said, and predictably enough Nicholas seemed to decide he could wait a little more for the rest of the story after all.

"Here you go," Dr. Director said with a small smile, handing the dessert to her son, and she raised an eyebrow as he began eating "you could at least _try_ to chew when you eat."

Gemini snorted. "Don't bother him, Betty," he said, taking his own slice "you're even more of a pain in the neck than I remembered."

His sister gritted her teeth. "For the last time, Sheldon, you don't get to _question_ me about--"

"Quit bickering now, you two, or Nick is getting to hear the most embarrassing details I can think of from your childhood," their mother threatened, winking at her grandson and causing them both her children to shut up and Nicholas to snicker – watching his mother and uncle fighting was always fun, but his grandmother telling them off was even better.

"She started it," Gemini muttered somewhat sulkily, but he began eating the dessert without any further comment, and so did Dr. Director. There were a few moments of silence, but it didn't last much.

_Splat_.

"What the…?" Dr. Director growled, reaching to wipe away the cream from her forehead and glaring at her brother – who, on the other hand, just pointed at Nicholas, who was still eating his slice of cake.

"He did it."

"Uh?" Nicholas blinked, then he seemed to nearly panic as he realized his uncle was blaming him for…well, something he had done, which probably wasn't anything good. He glanced up to see his mother's forehead smeared with cream. "Wha…? No, wait, it's not true!" he protested, turning to glare at the man he thought of as just his uncle "you did!"

Gemini grinned down at him. "Prove it, shorty."

"I _know_ it wasn't you, Nick," Dr. Director reassured him, glaring at her brother "you're not _that_ childish."

"Ouch, that hurt," was Gemini's sarcastic reply.

"Now, now," Theresa said with a smirk that made Gemini pale as he realized she was going to carry on her threat of letting Nicholas know some embarrassing stuff from his childhood "this is not a nice way to behave…is it, Shelly?"

Nicholas – who had just taken another mouthful of pie – immediately began to cough and choke, trying to swallow, breathe and laugh at the same time. "S…Shelly?" he repeated, still laughing, once he finally managed to swallow the bite that had nearly chocked him "she just called you _Shelly_?"

Gemini gritted his teeth, trying to not look at the laughing child and his snickering sister. "Mom!" he protested, his cheeks turning nearly crimson in embarrassment.

"Oh, don't start – you were _warned_," Theresa said with a shrug, resuming eating. Gemini grimaced as he tried to do the same, avoiding to look at his sister.

"You can stop laughing anytime this decade," he finally said a little sulkily as Nicholas kept laughing by his side. He was about to add he better stop now if he didn't want to be obliterated, but he decided against it – it certainly wouldn't be a wise move with his sister and mother sitting right there.

"I mean, _Shelly_? That's a girl name!"

"Yeah, I _know_," Gemini glared at his mother, who on the other hand was still smirking "_thanks_, mom."

"Anytime," Theresa said, her smirk widening "it's not my fault if you were so adorable as a baby – 'Sheldon' didn't really fit. If it can be of any comfort, your father wanted to call you Denzel."

"Too bad he didn't," Dr. Director said, sounding genuinely sorry "it would have been fun."

Gemini shuddered a little at the thought. "I would have legally changed my name the moment I turned eighteen, thank you so much," he said, trying to ignore how Nicholas was still snickering. "Well, that's it," he finally grumbled, looking down at him "you're not getting to hear the rest of the story."

The kid immediately stopped laughing and made a face. "Aw, _c'mon_!"

"Nope."

"I was just kidding!"

"I _wasn't_."

"Mom, say something!" Nicholas whined, the way all kids start whining when they're denied something.

Dr. Director sighed, glancing both at her brother and son. She didn't like it how fond Nick had gotten on him throughout the years, she didn't like it at all…but there was nothing she could do about that. Not as long as her mother was alive. "Leave him alone, Nick," she finally said "I'll tell you what happened. My version, of course," she added a little snidely.

"Your…?" Gemini blinked, then he frowned as he realized she would tell Nicholas everything he would have rather left out – like how he had actually _cried_ at some point.

_Hell, no._

"Fine, _fine_, I'll tell you," he nearly snarled, glaring death at his sister before turning his attention back to the eager child "so, where was I…?"

* * *

Dr. Director couldn't help but feel a little relieved as she saw Nicholas was in the living room with his grandmother, playing with some videogame and chewing cookies – she felt relieved whenever he wasn't around her brother.

Her only eye narrowed at the thought. If having to meet him whenever their mother invited them both to spend the day at her place had been unnerving, it was had gotten even worse since when Nicholas was born. She couldn't fight back a terrible sense of dread whenever she saw Gemini anywhere near her son, the same dread one would feel watching a wolf getting too close to a lamb – and the worst part was that he would constantly try to stay in contact with Nicholas.

They only met personally during those family gatherings – not that there were many people to gather since it was just them, really – but her brother had always tried to stay in touch with him more often, either through mail and phone calls, and what drove her insane was the fact there wasn't much she could do to prevent it other than telling him that Nicholas wasn't home when she was the one to answer the phone. Actually forbidding Nicholas to hear from his uncle would require giving him a valid explanation, and she couldn't bring herself to tell him just what kind of person her brother was – not to mention that she still didn't want their mother to find out the truth about her son.

Dr. Director bit her lower lip before glancing into the living room again. Once their mother was gone – the thought chilled her, but she knew it would have to happen sooner or later – there would be no reason for her to hold back. And then she would tell her son the truth…or, at least, that part of truth he could know. She would make sure he knew he had to stay away from Gemini; until that moment…well, she could only keep her eye wide open to make sure her brother never crossed the line. She wouldn't _let_ him.

"You look troubled, baby sister."

She scowled, turning to face her brother. "And here I hoped you had left," she muttered "what do you _want _from him?"

Gemini blinked, and for a moment he actually seemed confused. "What?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Sheldon," she growled "I know you have something in mind. I don't know _what_, but I know it's nothing good. I want you to stay away from him."

He scoffed. "I don't get what you mean – is it that odd wanting to spend time with my _nephew_?" sarcasm dripped from his voice once more "in case you haven't noticed, he _likes_ spending time with me. You can't keep him hidden from me, Betty. I have every right to--" he trailed off with a gasp as his sister stepped forward, her hand shooting up to grab his neck. When she spoke again, her voice was deadly quiet.

"No. No, you don't. You have _no right_ over him."

"Says _who_?" he asked challengingly.

"_I_ do. In case you didn't notice, I'm his _mother_."

"My, who would have guessed," he said sarcastically, still doing nothing to break free from her grasp "what I still wonder, however, is why you never told anyone who his _father_ happens to be."

Dr. Director gritted his teeth, and he knew he had hit a raw nerve. "I'm not going to repeat myself over this again, Sheldon, so listen close – it's none of your goddamn business!"

"Oh, really? I think it _is_," he growled "it didn't take much to check his birth date, Betty, and I can _still_ put two and two together!"

"For the last time, you idiot, he's not _yours_!" Dr. Director growled her usual lie even though they both knew the truth "even if he were – and I'm not saying he _is_ – I still wouldn't want you to approach him. You'd be trouble for him."

"He doesn't seem to think so," Gemini pointed out, his features still twisted in a scowl.

"He's just a child and he doesn't know who you are. And he's better off not knowing – no now, not ever," her only eye narrowed "don't even _try_ to mess with him, Sheldon."

Gemini snorted, his mechanical hand finally reaching to grab her arm to get her hand off his throat. "I don't want to mess with him," he said "it's the _last_ thing I want. He won't know the truth, not because of me!"

Dr. Director almost laughed. "I don't believe you," she said "I don't believe one single word. You never hesitated to target anyone or anything if you knew it would affect _me_ in the long run."

"It's not true," he protested "tell me _one thing_ I ever did to mess with him!"

She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Honestly, she couldn't think of anything; sure, she remembered some stuff he had done to irk her when Nicholas was only a toddler – she knew for a fact he had taught him to say 'world domination' during on of their get-togethers and she was certain he had something to do with the fact one day the little boy had muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'GJ sucks', but other than that… "It's just because I'm careful whenever you were around," she finally retorted "and only because you didn't yet, it doesn't mean you wouldn't."

"But I _wouldn't_!" Gemini seemed oddly frustrated now "I won't! I never did anything against our mother, and I'll never do anything against him either. It's different than with anyone else, an you _know_ it!"

His sister opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't think of anything she could retort to that. She bit her lower lip and sighed. "You left me no choice," she said flatly.

"It's not true. You had choices since the first moment," Gemini glanced past her to make sure both Nicholas and Theresa were still in the living room before he went on "for all you knew, he could have all kinds of issues. You could have aborted him. You could have given him up for adoption. You could have, and I wouldn't have known – and if I did, I wouldn't have tried to stop you. _You_ decided what to do, and I didn't get a say in it. But now, _now_ you can't just tell me to pretend he doesn't _exist_," he paused and stared straight in her only eye. "Because I won't."

She swallowed. "I don't trust you enough to let him grow too fond on you," she heard herself saying, wishing that conversation wasn't even happening. He seemed honest, really, but she didn't want to admit it.

"What do you think I could _do_ to him? I can only see him a few times in a _year_, or else send him a mail from time to time. Last time I got to hear from him before today was for his birthday – to him, I'm just his uncle. And you know what? It's _fine_ with me, because I know it's better for everyone if things stay like this. You have my _word_ that I'll never try to change it. But you can't just keep me out of his life. Not like this."

Dr. Director drew in a deep breath. "Fine. But I want your word that you'll never, ever try to _use_ him – leave him _out_ of everything that could be going on between us. You must promise that he will never know anything. _No one_ must ever know anything," she said slowly. She rarely let herself think of what would happen should anyone find out what had happened between her and her brother. It would cost her everything – her career, her reputation, her freedom, and her son. Gemini, on the other hand, already was a criminal: he had nothing to lose in telling the truth, and that was scared her the most, that made her fear he could someday spill the beans only out of his hatred for her. She couldn't let it happen.

"He won't," Gemini said unusually quietly "no one will. I promise."

She stared at him for a few moments before she finally nodded. "Alright," she said, taking a step back "but if you don't keep your word I'll make sure you'll have to use a _straw_ to eat for the rest of your life."

Her brother couldn't help but grin a little. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

Dr. Director was about to add some other threat – better safe than sorry – but she trailed off as someone suddenly ran into the hallway and bumped against her.

"Ow!"

Gemini smirked, glancing down at Nicholas. "Well, I'm glad it will take years before you're old enough to get a driving licence. Warn me when you do, alright? I wouldn't want to be outside with you around."

"That's not funny," Nicholas mumbled as Dr. Director helped him on his feet again, and she noticed he was holding something under his arm – an old football ball.

"Isn't that yours?" she asked, and Gemini nodded.

"Yes, it was mine," he said, reaching to take it from his hands "where did you find it?"

"In your old room," Nicholas replied, not even noticing how his mother held him a little closer to her before finally letting him go "I didn't know you played football."

"You don't know a lot of stuff," Gemini said, briefly glancing at his sister, who just looked back at him with a slight frown "but yes, I was the quarterback in high school," he smirked at the memory "the best one that team had in ten years or so," he boasted a little.

"Cool!" the kid stared up at him as if he had just said he used to wear a cape and cowl and race across the city on the Batmobile "grandma said I could play with it if you didn't mind," he added somewhat hopefully, glancing up at him.

Gemini shrugged. "I don't," he said, making the ball spin on his finger and faintly wondering how many years had it been since last time he had held a ball. Way too many, he thought. He shook his head slightly before throwing it back at Nicholas, and he was amused to see how easily he caught it even though he staggered back a little at the impact. "You can keep it if you want to."

"Really? Thanks!"

Despite her worries, Dr. Director couldn't help but smile a little at his obvious enthusiasm – he looked like he had just gotten a million dollars check. She couldn't help but wonder how it could be _possible_ for someone to be that carefree and innocent.

_He's a child. You were like that too._

"Don't even think to play inside with that," she just said, reaching to ruffle his hair "you better get on the lawn to play. Possibly trying to not break any window."

"Sure," Nicholas made a face as his mother stated the obvious "I know, I'm not a baby."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I see – the seasoned man has spoken," she teased him a little, but Nicholas didn't seem to realize it was a taunt.

"Hey, uncle, can you come outside and show me how to play? Please?" he said, eagerly looking up at him – it was clear that the mere idea he used to be a quarterback had just turned him into some kind of hero in his eyes. If he only knew, Dr. Director thought a little bitterly.

Gemini seemed to hesitate just for an instant, then he glanced at his sister, who had just opened her mouth to say that he would get too tired and that they had a long way to get back home. Dr. Director was surprised to realize he was mutely asking her to not say no, and surprise caused her to freeze for a few moment – it was the closest thing to _pleading_ she could remember her brother doing. Finally, she closed his mouth and nodded slightly, her mouth oddly dry.

Gemini immediately turned to Nicholas. "Sure," he said with a shrug "go ahead on the lawn, I'll get there in a minute," he paused as he watched him nodding and rushing outside, holding the ball close to his chest "he's a nice kid," he finally heard himself mutter.

Dr. Director gave a small, wry smile. "He is," she said somewhat absentmindedly before turning back to him "if he gets one single bruise while playing, I'm going to kick your ass to no end," she informed him.

Her brother snorted. "Do you think I'm _really_ going to tackle him or what?" he protested.

"Considering your maturity ground, you might as well do so," she said, somewhat amused but his annoyance. She seemed about to add something else, then she just sighed. "Just don't make him tire too much, he has to do his homework tomorrow," she said quietly, knowing that would mean spending another afternoon with half of her brain turned to the paperwork she had to file for GJ – why couldn't they simply digitalize everything with all the technology they had at their disposal? – and the other half busy helping Nicholas with his homework. He was already starting to develop a strong disliking for math and she couldn't really blame him, she thought in mild amusement before she turned her back to Gemini. "Now let's get out, you have no idea of what a pain he can be if you make him wait."

Gemini stood still for a few moments, saying nothing, then he shook his head as if to chase away some thought and just followed her outside.

* * *

"I told you to not tire him too much," Dr. Director said somewhat accusingly as she picked up her son from the couch where he had fallen asleep right after getting back home from the lawn. Nicholas shifted a little, but he didn't wake up – he just rested his head on his mother's shoulder and kept sleeping soundly, Gemini's old football ball still tightly clutched to his chest.

"He insisted to keep playing because he was having fun," Gemini protested "blame him!"

"You're supposed to be the _adult_," his sister pointed out, adjusting her grip on Nicholas a little – when had he gotten that heavy? Good heaven, he was growing up so quick…or maybe she was getting old. Or both.

"Hey, it's not like I had him jumping from the roof, you know!"

"Enough you two," Theresa scolded them, keeping her voice low so she wouldn't wake up the sleeping child "you'll just wake him up this way."

Gemini snorted and folded his arms. "She started it," he muttered childishly.

His mother sighed. "Aren't you a little too old to say that?" she asked in mild amusement before turning to Dr. Director "and Betty, it's not like anything happened. Nick had some fun and got tired, that's all. He'll be as good as new after a good night of sleep," she said fondly, reaching to ruffle Nicholas' hair.

"You wouldn't say that if you knew what kind of zombie he is early in the morning," Dr. Director's lips curled in a slight smile "anyway, I guess we better get going."

"Me too," Gemini immediately said. Dr. Director felt an unpleasant sensation in the pit of her stomach, but she ignored it – what else could she do? – as they said goodbye to their mother, promised at least seven times that they'd call soon, they'd let her know should either of them meet 'anyone interesting' and that they'd drop by again before the usual two or three weeks and finally left.

She wasn't really surprised as Gemini began walking alongside with them – she wasn't surprised at all – but she didn't feel quite as nervous as she usually would: she didn't think he would dare to do anything. She just kept walking with Nicholas in her arms, faintly wondering just how much weight had he gained that week since he seemed to be growing up dreadfully quickly and waiting for her brother to speak first.

After what felt like an eternity but was just a minute or so, she heard him clearing his throat. "Do you…need help to carry him?" he finally asked somewhat awkwardly.

It wasn't a question, Dr. Director was surprised to realize – it was a _request_. Only hours before she would have scowled at the mere thought of letting Gemini get too close to her son, let alone carry him as he slept. Now, after their last conversation, it only made her feel slightly uneasy; no matter how much animosity there could be between them, she still could tell when he was lying or not, and all her senses told her he had been honest when he had told her he wouldn't do anything that could do any harm to Nick. Then again…well…

Dr. Director hesitated for another moment before she stopped walking and turned to him. "Don't wake him up," was all she said, staring straight at his face, and she couldn't help but feel mildly amused by the look of surprise that briefly showed on his features as he took Nicholas from her arms. The boy shifted slightly in his sleep, but he didn't wake up. "I think that ball is about to become one of his most prized possessions," she said quietly as they resumed walking, glancing at the football ball Nicholas was still holding.

Gemini chuckled. "And he better take good care of it, I played some of my best matches with that," he said, then he frowned a little. "Remember dad's lucky coin?" he asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yes. The one you gave to that boy at his funeral."

"I regretted giving it away," he said quietly, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Dr. Director sighed. She remembered all too well how hurt, angry and guilty her brother had felt that day, and she certainly hadn't forgotten the fight they had after the funeral. For a moment she was reminded of what their mother had told her the day Nicholas was born – that Gerald had kept a picture of them in his wallet – and she wondered if Gemini knew that, then she decided to just let it go; it would make him no good telling him now after all. "It was just a coin with a hole in the middle – you don't need that to remember him by," she finally said, then she smiled a little "remember when he brought us to those baseball matches?"

"Yeah. And he would take us on his shoulders…"

"…one shoulder each," her smile widened a little "and he would complain because we were getting heavy."

Gemini adjusted his grip on Nicholas a little "Well, can't blame him now," he muttered, making a face "when did he get this big?"

"Good question, I was just wondering. He seems to be growing overnight," she shrugged "here's the car."

"Ah," Gemini just stood there as she opened the car, and she noticed he had hesitated briefly before handing Nicholas back to her so she could lean him on the backseat. The boy muttered something that sounded much like 'but girls have _cooties_!' in his sleep, but he still didn't wake up. Dr. Director chuckled and reached to brush away some hair from his forehead before she stepped back and closed the car's door.

"Betty?"

"Yes?" she turned to her brother, and despite the fact he hadn't done anything rash she still felt better now that Nicholas was in the car and she had both hands free to fight if she had to…still, for the first time since when she couldn't remember she didn't really feel threatened by his presence.

Dr. Director glanced at him a little more carefully. Maybe it was because of the sharp light cast on his face by the streetlight, but for the first time she noticed the small signs of aging on his face and the spray of grey that was starting to show in his hair. He was getting old, she realized…and so was she. In little less than thee years they would both be fifty – how old were they when they had fallen apart?

_You weren't even twenty years old. It's been nearly thirty years, Betty. You've despised each other for almost thirty years because neither of you could face your fair share of responsibility._

She shook her head a little to chase away the thought. "What is it?" she asked again, realizing that her brother hadn't spoken yet.

Gemini seemed to hesitate only for a moment before he replied, glancing at the car. "Next time I phone you…will you let me speak with him?"

Dr. Director bit her lower lip. "Sheldon, it's not that easy. He--"

"You said you wouldn't…!" Gemini protested, and she could hear something oddly close to fear in his voice before he cut off and lowered his voice with clear effort "you _can't_ just keep me out of his life!"

No, she realized, she couldn't – she never could, not really. Dr. Director sighed. "Can you give me your word?" she asked quietly. There was no need to add anything else: they both knew exactly what she meant.

"I already did," was her brother's reply "I promised, Betty, and I'll keep that promise. I _always_ keep my promises. Do I have to swear over Pepe's head or what? Fine, I swear over his head that I won't do anything to harm Nick in any way. Happy now? What else do I have to _say_? I just want--" he paused and drew in a deep breath before he spoke again "…I just want to stay in touch with my nephew," he said, and Dr. Director was surprised to realize that there was no hint of sarcasm in his voice, that he hadn't spat out the word 'nephew' as if it were poison this time. She stared at him for a few moments, speechless.

"Betty?" Gemini called out again, clearly unsettled by her sudden silence.

Dr. Director recoiled. "Fine," she heard herself saying before she turned to look at the car "I won't stop you if you want to talk with him. As long as you don't cross the line."

"I won't."

"You better not," Dr. Director hesitated for a moment, all her senses screaming for her to end that conversation, get in the car and drive away, then she added: "Nick has a baseball match next Saturday. I tried to find some time, but I won't be able to be there. You could go to watch it – I bet he'd be happy if you did."

Gemini stared at her for a few moments, stunned. "I…what?" he asked, wondering if he was hallucinating – there was simply no way his sister could be telling him she would be fine with letting him get close to Nicholas without her watching.

Dr. Director smirked. "I didn't know you got hearing problems with age," she taunted him a little before shrugging "the match should be in the morning, I'll know exactly what hour on Wednesday at most. Unless you're planning to launch one of your evil schemes that morning…well, I guess it can't hurt if you spend some time with him."

He gaped at her for a few minutes, then he recollected. "Well, I was planning to launch a few nuclear weapons at Ohio, but I guess I could change the schedule…"

"You _what_?"

Gemini grinned a little at her expression. "Just kidding," he said, holding up his hands – he actually had no plans for Saturday aside from some business chat and maybe a bowling match with Jack Hench, and that would be in the evening in any case "got you scared, baby sister?"

"You almost managed to make me reconsider," Dr. Director said coldly, but she was definitely relieved and maybe – maybe – just a little amused to know it was just a joke. "I should be back by afternoon. Can you delay your nuclear holocaust until then, or do I have to call his baby sitter to make him some lunch and look after him until I thwart your scheme and get back?"

He smirked. "I guess I can delay."

"Good to know that. There is a fast food he likes just near the baseball camp, by the way. You could have lunch there, but don't let him eat too many fries – he ate so many that he got sick last time. He might have some homework to do, so I'll leave the spare key under the doormat so you can get home. Try to not get any kind of unwanted attention on yourself while you're with him."

"Of course I won't, I'm not stupid."

"Could have fooled me," she retorted a little childishly before turning serious again. "Just one thing, Sheldon – if you screw up this chance, you won't be getting another one. Is that clear?"

Gemini nodded. "I know," he said quietly "I'll…call you on Wednesday. To know what time the match is."

"Fine with me," she just said before she got into the car. She tried to close the door, but Gemini grabbed it before she could and kept it open.

"Betty?"

She scowled for a moment, slightly alarmed, then she made herself relax. "What?" she asked.

Her brother hesitated for a brief moment and glanced at Nicholas' sleeping form on the backseat before he turned back to her. "I think Dementor is on to something," he finally said "keep an eye on Munich."

"Oh," Dr. Director raised an eyebrow "and you're telling me because…?"

"Just _because_," was the somewhat defensive reply – the only reason why he had told her was that if she could stop that one scheme before it started she could get more time to spend with Nicholas, that was all. That, and the fact he wanted to get that midget back for insinuating he could be a spy for GJ during a villain convention he hadn't bothered to attend to; Hench was laughing when he had told him about that, but _he_ hadn't found it amusing. Telling Betty about the scheme would be like killing two birds with one stone.

"Yeah, right. Don't tell me you're having a change of heart, I'm not buying it," she mocked him a little. She had accepted the fact Dr. Drakken and Shego had apparently switched sides – or at least given up on world domination – years before, after the Lowardians' attack, but she could _not_ picture Gemini doing the same.

"You _wish_," Gemini retorted, then he shrugged and let go of the door "but you better follow your older brother's advice for once," he taunted back with a small smirk.

"Older my ass," Dr. Director muttered, causing her brother to childishly stick out his tongue at her, but she did take a mental note to get Team Possible on Dementor's trail the following morning – she was pretty certain Drakken would be glad to help as well in that one case, she thought in mild amusement as she closed the door, started the engine and gave Gemini a small nod before she drove off. She let out the breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding for a few moments and glanced in the rear-view mirror to see him waving his hand briefly before turning to walk in the opposite direction and to his own car.

Even if he were turned towards them it was too dark and she was quickly getting too far to see his face, so she just turned her attention back to the traffic…which was pretty much non-existent right now, thankfully. They would be home quickly, and maybe she would just carry Nicholas inside and let him sleep with his clothes on for a change: she didn't really feel like waking him up to have him wear his pajamas, and he had a tiring day, so he would probably keep sleeping--

"Mom?" Nicholas' sleepy voice came from the backseat.

…or not. She glanced in the mirror to see him groggily sitting up, his hair even messier than usual. "Yes?"

"I forgot to tell uncle Sheldon about the match," the boy muttered, finally letting go of the football ball to rub his eyes "why didn't you wake me up?"

"Don't worry, I told him about it."

Nicholas' grumpy expression immediately brightened. "And what did he say?" he asked eagerly.

Dr. Director hesitated only for a moment before replying. "He said he'll come to see it."

The boy suddenly looked everything like she had told him Christmas was coming early. "Really?"

"Really. He'll call on Wednesday, so you better ask your coach what time the match will be by then."

"Sure!" Nicholas exclaimed, all sleepiness gone "hey, mom, can I sit on the front seat?"

"Yes, but you have to buckle the security belt."

"Aw, but mom…!" he whined. Even though his mother always buckled it – and his mother was somewhere between Superman and Captain America in his coolness scale – he still thought safety belts were for sissies.

"That's not up for discussion, Nick."

Her son frowned for a moment, then he shrugged, clearly having decided that the fun of travelling on the front seat was well worth the humiliation of a security belt. "Okay."

As she stopped the car to let Nicholas get off the car and then on the front seat, Dr. Director wondered if it had indeed been a good idea giving Gemini that chance to approach him without her watching. Then again, did she honestly think he would sink low enough to do anything that could damage Nicholas only to hurt her? No, she didn't think he would, though she wasn't sure if it was because he actually cared for him or because there wasn't nearly as much hatred left between them as there had been for years now.

Maybe both, she mused as she thought back of the spray of grey she had seen in his hair, and she felt once again almost painfully surprised by the realization that it had really been _that_ long since when they had made the mistake that would shape their lives – a mistake neither of them had been entirely to blame for. Thirty years, she thought. God, had it _really_ been that long? Did they really still hold that much grudge to each other for something that had happened when they were barely more than teens, or had they just tried to somehow cling to a hatred that wasn't even in them anymore because it made it easier for them to cope…?

"Mom?" Nick's voice snapped her from her thoughts. She turned to see him smiling sheepishly, struggling with the safety belt. "…a little help?"

She chuckled. "You'll have to learn how to buckle the safety belt by yourself sooner or later," she said, reaching to buckle the belt and then ruffle his hair before she started the engine again.

"I try, but it's hard," he protested, clearly wondering how could she not realize how dreadfully difficult buckling a safety belt was to him, then he just shrugged and leant back on the seat, gazing out through the windshield – it was one of the reasons why he liked sitting on the front seat so much. "Is uncle Sheldon really coming to see the match?" he finally asked, still sounding enthusiastic at the idea.

"He said he would, and he keeps his promises," Dr. Director reassured him with a small smile before losing herself in her thoughts again. There was a part of her that still didn't feel comfortable at the thought of leaving her son with Gemini for so much time and without any kind of control from her, but she supposed that maybe it was time for her to give him at least one chance.

No matter what could be happening between them, maybe they could try to make it work. Maybe they could behave like adults and push their rivalry aside, at least as far as Nicholas was concerned. After almost thirty years, maybe they could just let go.

Maybe it had been long enough after all.

* * *

_Well, this is the end. I can barely believe that this insanely long thing that took something like a year and a handful of months to get written started out because I made some AMV out of boredom and then a _certain someone_ gave me an idea for this fic and then poked me into writing it. It was supposed to be not even a tenth as long as it got, but at some point it just got a life for itself. It's been fun to write, though, so I'm not complaining too much. Hope it was even half as fun to read._

_So, thanks a lot to _**Neo the Saiyan angel**, **kriitikko**, **The Mad shoe1**, **Tomas Clair** and **bmwrider** for _reading/reviewing/faving this fic_. _And, of course, special thanks to_ **VampireNaomi** _for all the support and for getting me into writing this in the first place: nothing of this would have been written if it wasn't for you. I would swear revenge, but since I already got it I'll just chuckle as you write tons of awesome stuff I know I'll love and sit back while waiting for your counter-revenge _XD

_Thanks again!_


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